Summary

In Chapter 1, Tessa is walking her six-month old son, Finn, to his daycare center. As she walks, she thinks about the latest troubles the conflict with the IRA is having on her and Northern Ireland as a whole. Tessa thinks that she is safe at home because she lives in the countryside. They arrive, and she says her goodbyes. Then her mother calls wondering if Tessa has heard from her vacationing sister, Marian. Their mother worries that Marian is diving in spite of an approaching storm. Tessa tells her that she is not, even though Marian told her that she plans to swim into the caves of Ballintoy.

Marian is a paramedic. Their mother is a housekeeper. On Thursdays, Tessa’s mother picks up Finn from the day care center at the end of the day and babysits until Tessa arrives home from...