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Gran
Brendan is Tom's uncle. He lives in a cabin on Gran's property and runs the tractor repair business at the sheds, which he inherited from Pa. He's gay and not secretive about it, though Tom does note that Gran has never been told outright. Brendan was an instrumental figure in getting the Brennans through the trauma of Daniel's trial: he helped to support Mum in her grief most of all. After the move to Coghill, Brendan becomes an important guiding force in Tom's life as well. He's able to convince Tom to start running with him in the mornings, which gives the two the opportunity to talk about Daniel. Brendan and Daniel had been close when Daniel was a kid; Brendan, Daniel, and Fin often went off and did things together and left Tom with Kylie. As Tom and Brendan become closer, Tom realizes that Daniel truly knew Brendan: he was surely more than marginally aware that Brendan is gay and likely saw Brendan as a full person, not just an uncle. Tom begins to make these shifts as well, especially when he catches Brendan experiencing moments of crushing grief. As Brendan and Tom continue to run, Brendan is eventually able to talk Tom into going to Nepal with him to hike to the Mount Everest base camp. This gives both of them something to work for and a way forward out of their grief. Near the end of the novel, Brendan admits that he and his boyfriend, Jonny, had planned to leave Coghill for Sydney, but decided to stay in the aftermath of the accident. This impresses upon Tom the importance of making sacrifices for one's family.
Brendan Quotes in The Story of Tom Brennan
The The Story of Tom Brennan quotes below are all either spoken by Brendan or refer to Brendan. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter Six
Quotes
Brendan didn't want to say how bad Fin really was because it'd upset Dad and it wasn't his fault. But then Dad couldn't tell Brendan, or probably anyone for that matter, what state Daniel was in because the general consensus was that Daniel deserved what he got.
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Chapter Ten
Quotes
"It gets him out of the mainstream for a while, gives him a bit of breathing space," explained Brendan. "He finds the visiting hard. I mean, it's his lifeline, but the guilt resurfaces every time. That's what strangles him."
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Chapter Sixteen
Quotes
Before, Brendan had been someone who was just always around. Someone I never really thought about. Mum's little brother. My uncle, that was about as far as it went. But that's when life was simpler.
Now Brendan wanted me to see him. See who he really was. This was probably the way Daniel saw him and now I did too.
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Brendan Quotes in The Story of Tom Brennan
The The Story of Tom Brennan quotes below are all either spoken by Brendan or refer to Brendan. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter Six
Quotes
Brendan didn't want to say how bad Fin really was because it'd upset Dad and it wasn't his fault. But then Dad couldn't tell Brendan, or probably anyone for that matter, what state Daniel was in because the general consensus was that Daniel deserved what he got.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter Ten
Quotes
"It gets him out of the mainstream for a while, gives him a bit of breathing space," explained Brendan. "He finds the visiting hard. I mean, it's his lifeline, but the guilt resurfaces every time. That's what strangles him."
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter Sixteen
Quotes
Before, Brendan had been someone who was just always around. Someone I never really thought about. Mum's little brother. My uncle, that was about as far as it went. But that's when life was simpler.
Now Brendan wanted me to see him. See who he really was. This was probably the way Daniel saw him and now I did too.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
