Summary

In Part II, Chapter 14, 12 years before the narrative present, Niall wakes Franny from a dream. She is choking him in her sleep. Franny wishes she could hide her ugly self from him. Every night for a week, Franny sleepwalks or tries strangling Niall. She ties her wrists to the bed, which bothers Niall. One day when Franny announces her trip to find John Torpey, Niall says he will join. At John's home, they quickly learn John is Franny's grandfather. Her mother Iris is his daughter. He explains the family story. Convinced his wife, Maire, was cheating, he did not believe Iris was his daughter, and dismissed them. Upset, Franny leaves. When Niall presses her afterwards, she says: "Why would I choose someone who never chose me" (133). Later, when he asks about her father, she says she never knew him, deciding to...