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Tom and Daniel's cousin, Fin is permanently paralyzed in the accident. Though Fin is only a week younger than Daniel, the latter overshadowed Fin in everything they did until weeks before the crash. In the weeks before the accident, tensions between Daniel and Fin reached a fever pitch: with Daniel spending so much time drinking, Fin's ability on the rugby field could finally take the limelight. He was also growing up and becoming handsomer and more mature. In addition, he had a crush on Daniel’s girlfriend Claire, which made Daniel extremely jealous—especially when it became clear that Claire preferred Fin. On the night of the accident, Fin and Daniel fought over Claire. Yet because Fin is someone who has always felt a great deal of responsibility to care for others, he stayed with Daniel at the party. Daniel later insisted on driving home and crashed his car, paralyzing Fin's arms and legs. Tom notes that Fin had been a reserved and cautions person; trusting Daniel that night was the only risk Fin ever took. During Tom's few visits with Fin in the hospital and in rehab, he can tell that Fin is extremely angry about what happened, even if he doesn't say so outright. Tom notes that while Fin was initially dedicated to recovering, he slowly became more downtrodden. Aunty Kath, Fin's mother, is vocal about telling Tom's family that Fin is terrified of what his life will be like as a quadriplegic. He remains in contact with Claire and with other people in Mumbilli, a fact that he occasionally deploys to make the Brennan family feel bad. Near the end of the novel, Fin admits that he doesn't actually hate Daniel and would actually like to visit him at some point. He and Aunty Kath don't return to Mumbilli; they move into a flat with a view of the ocean where Fin has hospitals and other facilities nearby.
Fin Quotes in The Story of Tom Brennan
The The Story of Tom Brennan quotes below are all either spoken by Fin or refer to Fin. 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:
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Chapter Four
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Suddenly I was sucked deeper into that long black tunnel, the memories of Fin and Daniel and how we once were, and the worst thing, the knowing. Knowing more than anything I'd ever know that things would never be the same.
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Chapter Six
Quotes
Somewhere in the bush, hard to say how far away, I could hear the painful sound of groaning, retching sobs. It was Daniel but I couldn't go to him. Part of me wanted to, the other part didn't. I knew I had to stay with Fin, stay with the mess Daniel had made. Yet a voice inside of me was screaming, "He's alive, he's alive. Daniel's alive."
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Chapter Seven
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Wasn't his life worth more? But that's exactly why he was here, because a life was worth something, and Daniel took two away. Whichever way I turned, my questions only found another one, always worse than the last.
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Chapter Eleven
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I mean, it was bad—it was all bad—but even after the worst visits, there was still hope when you left him, some hope in the realization that one day Daniel'd be getting out of there, a free man.
But Fin would never be free, and that was too enormous to swallow.
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Chapter Sixteen
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"We were fighting all the time. The new young players were shit-scared. If you had a bad game you were dead meat. It wasn't about us, it was all about the Wattle Shield. We stopped looking out for each other."
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"They couldn't control Dan. They were scared of him. Well, scared of the consequences if they tried to pull him into line [...] Maybe Daniel was always going to do something like this. Maybe he had to fall this far."
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Chapter Eighteen
Quotes
We were. The three of us, like brothers.
Now it was hard to believe that. Blood's thicker than water, so what's the difference between your brother and your cousin? I didn't know. I'd never know.
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Fin Quotes in The Story of Tom Brennan
The The Story of Tom Brennan quotes below are all either spoken by Fin or refer to Fin. 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 Four
Quotes
Suddenly I was sucked deeper into that long black tunnel, the memories of Fin and Daniel and how we once were, and the worst thing, the knowing. Knowing more than anything I'd ever know that things would never be the same.
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Chapter Six
Quotes
Somewhere in the bush, hard to say how far away, I could hear the painful sound of groaning, retching sobs. It was Daniel but I couldn't go to him. Part of me wanted to, the other part didn't. I knew I had to stay with Fin, stay with the mess Daniel had made. Yet a voice inside of me was screaming, "He's alive, he's alive. Daniel's alive."
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Chapter Seven
Quotes
Wasn't his life worth more? But that's exactly why he was here, because a life was worth something, and Daniel took two away. Whichever way I turned, my questions only found another one, always worse than the last.
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Chapter Eleven
Quotes
I mean, it was bad—it was all bad—but even after the worst visits, there was still hope when you left him, some hope in the realization that one day Daniel'd be getting out of there, a free man.
But Fin would never be free, and that was too enormous to swallow.
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Chapter Sixteen
Quotes
"We were fighting all the time. The new young players were shit-scared. If you had a bad game you were dead meat. It wasn't about us, it was all about the Wattle Shield. We stopped looking out for each other."
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"They couldn't control Dan. They were scared of him. Well, scared of the consequences if they tried to pull him into line [...] Maybe Daniel was always going to do something like this. Maybe he had to fall this far."
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Chapter Eighteen
Quotes
We were. The three of us, like brothers.
Now it was hard to believe that. Blood's thicker than water, so what's the difference between your brother and your cousin? I didn't know. I'd never know.
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