58 pages • 1 hour read
David MitchellA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Ed Brubeck, who is now in a committed relationship with Holly, works as an award-winning correspondent covering the Iraq War. He has returned to England to attend the wedding of Holly’s sister, Sharon, but is made uncomfortable by his in-laws’ questions about his work. Holly’s father, Dave, invites Ed to the stag party, but Ed backs off, citing jet lag.
Holly hopes that Ed will transition into a role that will allow him to remain in London with Holly and their daughter, Aoife, later in the year. However, Ed dreads telling her that he’s instead planning to remain in Iraq for six more months, departing right after the wedding. When Ed tells her about this, they get into an argument. Holly accuses him of being addicted to war and worries that Aoife will grow up without a father.
Ed and Aoife are out for an early morning walk on Brighton Pier when they bump into a woman who claims to be an old friend of Holly’s, Immaculée Constantin. Ed feigns recognition, and Constantin talks to Aoife about her invisible eye, as well as those of Holly and Jacko. Constantin suddenly departs before Ed can ask if she wants to say hi to Holly.
By David Mitchell
Appearance Versus Reality
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Challenging Authority
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Class
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Class
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Good & Evil
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Loyalty & Betrayal
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Magical Realism
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Memory
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Mortality & Death
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New York Times Best Sellers
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Power
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The Best of "Best Book" Lists
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The Booker Prizes Awardees & Honorees
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The Future
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War
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