Summary

Chapter 6 tells the story of the year following the death of Penny in the distant past, and, in the more recent past, Clay's growing relationship with his father. After the diagnosis of her illness, Penny is given six months to live; in fact, she lives for almost three years, suffering in agony all the while. When Clay sees his mother die, he happens to be holding a peg, thus seeming to explain why he carries clothes pegs with him when running (344). Michael reads from The Iliad at Penny's funeral, and she is cremated. In the weeks that follow, he begins to leave the house for days on end without explanation.

Claudia Kirkby, a teacher at the younger boys' school (and Matthew's future wife) is appointed to check up on their health following Penny's death. Michael, meanwhile, forgets the boys' birthdays and is rarely around...