Migrations

Content Warning: This section mentions sexual violence

On their wedding night, Franny tries to strangle Niall in her sleep. Over the following nights she sleepwalks destructively, feeling trapped in their newfound intimacy. Hoping to hide her “ugliness” from Niall, she ties her wrists to the bed. He is upset when he finds out.

Niall accompanies Franny to Doolin to visit John Torpey. John admits that he is Franny’s maternal grandfather. His wife Maire “was a wanderer” who would vanish for days at a time, provoking John’s jealousy (131). When Iris was born, John believed she was the product of infidelity and kicked both wife and daughter out of the house. Upset, Franny quickly leaves. Niall asks why she doesn’t want to be part of John’s family. Franny says, “why would I choose someone who never chose me?” (133). She tells Niall that her mother abandoned her. Franny blames herself, saying “I always leave” (135). Niall responds by asking her if she comes back.

One morning in Galway, Franny leaves the apartment early without telling Niall and goes to Dublin. When she realizes the panic she’s caused him, she feels guilty and returns. Later, they attend a faculty party at the university, where Niall speaks bitterly about the destruction humans have wrought on Earth.