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Summary

Chapters 1 - 3

Chapter 1 

Bill Furlongs runs a coal and fuel business. With the freezing December temperatures, Furlong’s business is in high demand in the week leading up to Christmas. His work is laborious, taking two whole days to manage the materials and even more time to deliver the orders around town. Bill and his crew go to Kehoe’s on Fridays to eat hot dinners and unwind.  

Growing up, Furlong was an only child and  was bullied for having an unmarried mother and an absent father. His mother, Sarah, gave birth to him when she was only sixteen, and was taken in by Mrs. Wilson, a wealthy Protestant widow, to work on her property and raise Furlong. Mrs. Wilson lived off her deceased husband’s pension and made an income from her herd of cows and sheep. She raised Furlong alongside Sarah, helping him with reading and vocabulary. Ned, the farmhand, also worked and lived on the property. Furlong was raised with Protestant morals, a kind heart, and an industrious work ethic. It is hinted that Sarah died of a brain bleed when Furlong was twelve years old. In the present, Furlong still does not know who his biological father is, something that he wonders about often.  

Chapter 2 

Furlong and his wife, Eileen, have five daughters: Kathleen, Joan, Sheila, Grace, and Loretta. Furlong is proud of his girls, who are smart, talented, and involved in the religious community. Kathleen and Joan attend St. Margaret's secondary school, Sheila and Grace take music lessons at the convent, and Joan sings in the choir. Furlong shares with Eileen that he offered Mick Sinnott’s son a ride and gave him some spare change. Eileen disapproves of his actions. In the evening while Eileen sleeps, Furlong, unable to rest because of the thoughts and questions ceaselessly circling his mind, drinks tea and watches the town through his window. He worries about his girls growing up, the poverty in his community, and people abandoning their responsibilities because their life is too hard.  

Chapter 3 

The Furlongs gather in the town center for the annual Christmas lighting. The convent choir sings, and people walk around looking in shop windows. Eileen looks at a pair of patent shoes and a matching handbag. A man dressed as Santa walks towards the crowd and frightens Loretta. Her fearful reaction makes Furlong worry that she won’t be brave enough for the world. At home, the girls bake and write letters to Santa. Nostalgic, Furlong remembers the time he asked for a Jigsaw puzzle and his father for Christmas. He received neither, instead getting a hot water bottle from Ned and the book A Christmas Carol from Mrs. Wilson. After the girls go to sleep, Eileen and Furlong relax and watch TV. She tells him that he works too hard, and they both compliment one another on raising a happy family. They discuss Christmas presents, and he says that he only wants David Copperfield, a book by Walter Macken, or a dictionary for the house. Furlong continues to overthink and worry about the purpose of his mundane life, Loretta’s spelling, and the town gossip. 

Next section Chapters 4-5

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