Chapter 1, Merry Christmas, Mrs. Whiskers Summary

It is Christmas morning in Tyreelin, a small village that lies just south of the Irish border. As Bernard McIvor, pastor of the parish, is preparing for the Christmas mass he reflects upon how Christmas masses were once enchanting, filled with his inspiring tales and uplifting songs. Now, however, the pastor lacks that passion.

Father Bernard's loss of passion occurred in the 1950s, when the pastor had sex with a housemaid that looked "not unlike Mitzi Gaynor the well-known film star." The result of this tryst was Patrick Braden, the narrator of this story, who lives with his drunken mother, Whiskers, and his seven siblings.

Chapter 1, Merry Christmas, Mrs. Whiskers Analysis

McCabe begins Breakfast on Pluto with a pleasant, predictable setting for a Christmas morning. Birds are chirping, dipping into milk bottles, and the air...