Summary

In Chapter 1, “The Nightwatchman,” Bowen and his cat Bob were having a bad day. They were already late getting to Islington, where Bowen “sold the homeless magazine The Big Issue,” when their bus route was terminated (1). Then, on their walk from the bus stop to the Angel tube station, “a little Russian lady” stopped them (3). When she reached for Bob, Bob lunged and meowed. Then, not long after setting up at Angel, it started raining. Bowen would never sell enough magazines to cover his expenses. Then a policeman approached, interrogating Bowen about Bob and the magazines. Bowen knew he was doing nothing wrong.

By early evening, Bowen “decided to call it quits” (6). Though he had not made enough money, he knew he and Bob would not starve. On the bus home, Bowen fell asleep. Just before he missed his stop, Bob woke him...