Summary

The essay “The Family Hour” describes the low-level chaos that Jo, Linda, and their younger brother Bradley would inflict on each other and their parents. The opening scene describes how Jo and Linda, sharing a bed, settled a “border dispute” with a “foot-feet fight” (112), leaving Linda with a black eye. However, the next morning, Linda lies to her mother, saying she gave herself the black eye by hitting her face on the bathroom doorknob while bending over to pee (114).

One afternoon, the family’s dog, Yimmer, is missing. Jo’s mother surmises that her husband has taken the dog with him to the local tavern. She sends Jo and Linda to go retrieve the dog, which they do by both riding on the same bicycle — which is strictly forbidden — on busy Nineteenth Avenue. The sisters suddenly serve on the...