The Unquiet Earth: A Novel Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter 5: The Child 1959 -1961 Summary

Chapter 5: The Child 1959 -1961 Summary

Jackie, 1959

At eight years of age, Jackie has insomnia. The doctor says it will pass but Jackie is afraid that bad and scary things, including snakes, live outside her house. One day after she gets home from school, her father comes home and tells her that her Mamaw Honaker is very sick. Her mother has taken her to the hospital. Her father works as a bookkeeper and does the payroll for the coalminers. The next morning, Rachel is still not home. Jackie goes to school on the school bus. She is crying afraid that her mother might die. That night, Tony takes her to the Moose Club. He leaves her in a room alone with pool tables.

Rachel is home when they return. She screams at Tony because she had been trying to call him all evening. Her mother is dying! They argue more and Tony leaves to...
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