Reading in the Dark

Rats, November 1950

Derry had air-raid shelters during WWII that were destroyed in 1950. After that, the area became a dumping ground, and the city developed a “rat problem” (78). One day, the narrator accompanies men who attempt to kill the rats by smoking them out of the demolished shelters and burning them with paraffin. 

Crazy Joe, August 1951

Crazy Joe is a fixture around town, and “something […] happened when he was a young man and he had never been right since” (81). He often spends time at the library. One day, Joe invites the narrator into the art room, which is “Reserved for Adults” (82). There, he shows the narrator a painting of a nude woman by François Boucher.

The narrator returns to the library, and he and Joe go on a walk outside. Joe tells the narrator the story of Larry McLaughlin. In the story, Larry walks up a hill, and he meets a woman on his way back to town. As the two lay down in a field together to have sex, the woman transforms into a fox. When Larry returns home, “he was babbling” (88). The priest reports that Larry cannot marry his fiancée and will never have children.

Maths Class, November 1951

Father Gildea teaches the narrator and his classmates Algebra. The teacher goes around the room asking all the students to answer questions in order, assessing whether the previous student has given the correct answer. He punishes incorrect answers with more homework.

Sergeant Burke, May 1952

Willie Barr, a bully at the narrator’s school, corners the narrator and his friend Rory. Willie hits Rory just as a police car pulls up, and the narrator throws a rock at it. Sergeant Burke emerges from the car and pressures the narrator to confirm the names of the other boys. The police drive the narrator home, stopping along the way to point at the narrator in the car, insinuating that he is an informant. The narrator decides that he will have to run away.  

Informer, June 1952

The narrator tries to run away a couple of times, but his family brings him back home. His father berates him for giving information to the police, asking “Why didn’t I take a few punches from Barr and his gang?” (103) The narrator only leaves his house to go to school. He stops going to the library and playing football with his friends. On another night, his father blames him again for getting involved with the police. The narrator responds by stating that their family’s involvement with the police started long ago, and his father hits him.  

Roses, July 1952

The narrator attempts to uproot and destroy the rosebushes in his family’s backyard. His mother and siblings are horrified. Deane does not make it clear why the narrator is tearing up the bushes, but it relates to the narrator’s desire to retaliate against his father. The next day, his father and uncles clear the dead bushes and lay cement. His father tells him, “You ask me no more questions. Talk to me no more. Just stay out of my way and out of trouble” (110).  

Bishop, August 1952

To restore his good reputation within the community, the narrator must apologize to Sergeant Burke with a priest present. To do so, he goes to see the bishop, who sends Father O’Neill to accompany the narrator during the apology two weeks later. Father O’Neill and the narrator go to the barracks where the narrator apologizes to Sergeant Burke, who says, “the incident’s closed as far as we are concerned” (118). Afterward, Liam convinces the narrator to spread a rumor that he went to the barracks to receive an apology from Sergeant Burke and that the policeman might be excommunicated. 

Grandfather, October 1952

When the narrator’s grandfather falls ill, the narrator stays with his Aunt Katie to help care for him. He notes, “At first, I hated having to sit with Grandfather,” but the narrator eventually enjoys speaking with his grandfather (120). One day, the narrator’s grandfather reveals that his Uncle Constantine turned away from the Catholic Church and “died a heretic” even though the rest of the family insists that he returned to the church before he died (122).  

Deathbed, November 1952

The narrator reads his grandfather the newspaper and tells him about school. He also tries to extract information from his grandfather about Uncle Eddie—“I pressed and pressed through long afternoons”—but he never receives any answers to his questions (126). One afternoon, Father Moran arrives, and the narrator’s grandfather “was holding out,” not wanting to receive last rites from the priest (128). 

Lundy Burns, December 1952

The narrator’s grandfather’s “last days began” (129). He confesses to the narrator that Eddie is dead and that he was executed for being a police informant. He also reveals that he ordered Eddie’s execution, but he made a mistake. Eddie was set up and was not an informant. The narrator’s grandfather tells the narrator that the real informant was Tony McIlhenny. The narrator’s mother visits the narrator’s grandfather, and he seems to tell her the truth about Eddie. He dies two days later.  

Father, February 1952

The narrator, Liam, and their father take a rowboat across the river. They begin hiking and take shelter in a church once it starts to rain. His father admits to the boys that Eddie was an informant and that he did not disappear during the distillery shoot-out.