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Fin
Tom's mother. She and Daniel have always been close, though Tom hesitates to call it favoritism when he talks about their relationship. In the weeks and months before the accident, Tom begin to notice that both Mum and Dad were afraid of disciplining Daniel when he dipped into one of his moods and became violent. Because of this, the town of Mumbilli blames Mum and Dad partially for Daniel's actions, as they believe they should've done something to curb his wild behavior sooner. Mum attempts to look for anything that would make Daniel look better or shift the blame elsewhere in the weeks between the accident and Daniel's final conviction. She attempts to blame Fin in part and is vocal about her belief that the accident was Claire's fault. Following Daniel's sentencing, Mum refuses to get out of bed and starts to neglect her hygiene. This is extremely disturbing for Tom, as he thinks that Mum smells like an elderly person and is barely recognizable. He notes at several points that when she's in this state, she's nothing like the beautiful and vibrant person she was before the accident. In reality, Mum is simply too overcome with grief to engage in daily life—though she does perk up after visits with Daniel. Mum turns the corner and begins to do better after her sister, Aunty Kath, accuses her of neglecting Tom and Kylie. Mum begins attending church and spends more time up and about, though Gran still feels the need to tape a picture of St. Vitus, the patron saint of oversleeping, to the fridge in the hope of helping Mum stay up longer. Mum seems well on her way to recovery by the end of the novel. Though Chrissy remarks that Mum is skinny and pale, Tom assures Chrissy that Mum is much better than she used to be.
Mum Quotes in The Story of Tom Brennan
The The Story of Tom Brennan quotes below are all either spoken by Mum or refer to Mum. 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 Three
Quotes
I wandered down the hall in case Mum was awake. The door to her room was open. I stood there. Maybe Dad was telling the truth, maybe she had just gone to bed and was waiting to hear how my first day went. I stepped into the doorway. A thickness in the air hung still and stale.
She didn't see me. How could she under all those covers?
"Yeah, thanks Mum," I whispered. "School went okay."
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Chapter Seven
Quotes
The thought of Dad hurting and the possibility that he could drop his bundle at any moment was too much for me to swallow.
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Chapter Nine
Quotes
"But remember your fellow man, Daniel, because life is more than just a one-man show. Everything we do in this life affects others. Did you think of that the night you got behind the wheel, your trusting passengers the loved ones of others? We think probably not."
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Chapter Eleven
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Us Brennans had a lot to ask for and not much reason to give thanks. But I was thankful. Mum was up.
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Chapter Sixteen
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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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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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Mum Quotes in The Story of Tom Brennan
The The Story of Tom Brennan quotes below are all either spoken by Mum or refer to Mum. 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 Three
Quotes
I wandered down the hall in case Mum was awake. The door to her room was open. I stood there. Maybe Dad was telling the truth, maybe she had just gone to bed and was waiting to hear how my first day went. I stepped into the doorway. A thickness in the air hung still and stale.
She didn't see me. How could she under all those covers?
"Yeah, thanks Mum," I whispered. "School went okay."
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Chapter Seven
Quotes
The thought of Dad hurting and the possibility that he could drop his bundle at any moment was too much for me to swallow.
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Chapter Nine
Quotes
"But remember your fellow man, Daniel, because life is more than just a one-man show. Everything we do in this life affects others. Did you think of that the night you got behind the wheel, your trusting passengers the loved ones of others? We think probably not."
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Chapter Eleven
Quotes
Us Brennans had a lot to ask for and not much reason to give thanks. But I was thankful. Mum was up.
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Chapter Sixteen
Quotes
"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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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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