The Shipping News

The family moves into the house a few weekends later, Agnis arriving on Friday in her brand-new blue pickup truck and Quoyle, Bunny, and Sunshine following the next morning in the station wagon. Before they arrive, Agnis disposes of Guy’s ashes by unceremoniously tipping them into the outhouse hole.

When Quoyle, Bunny, and Sunshine arrive, Bunny is upset to find that the house is still green. Quoyle promises they can repaint it someday, after it’s fixed—at that moment, Dennis is working on the roof. Quoyle, Agnis, and the girls work on small renovation tasks inside during the afternoon. After dinner, Agnis wants to play cards and she’s frustrated when no one else is interested.

Quoyle wakes up early the next morning and stumbles outside into the unfamiliar grey Newfoundland light. On the threshold, he finds three knotted bundles of grass. He follows a path through the brush down to the shore, failing to notice that some of the tree branches lining the trail have been twisted into knots, too. Parts of it are strewn with trash, but when he gets close enough to the water, he hears a sound and turns to see a minke whale frolicking in the smooth water of the bay. Turning again, Quoyle discovers an odd object wedged in a cracked rock. It’s a memorial pin woven of human hair. In revulsion, he throws it away.

Quoyle returns to the house, full of ideas for how he can fix up the path and make his own little place to sit by the water. Agnis has bad news: there’s a storm coming, but Dennis won’t be able to get out and finish the roof before it arrives. Quoyle will have to finish the job. The thought of climbing up to the perilously pitched roof terrifies Quoyle, but he does it anyway. After a little while, he realizes it’s not as bad as he fears. Soon, he gets into the rhythm of the work. But then he hears Bunny’s voice and turns to find her at the top of the ladder, clutching a child-sized hammer. In a low voice, he tells her to stay still as he frantically inches toward her, clutches her up in his arms, and descends the ladder with her to solid ground. As he does, the image of her falling to her death replays itself over and over in his mind.