Night Watch: A Novel

ConaLee rides in a wagon with Papa and her mother, who does not speak. They are going to Weston, and Papa tells ConaLee to call her mother “Miss Janet.” Papa bought Miss Janet’s clothes from a man whose wife died, and he says that Miss Janet is a woman of quality. Papa gave away their possessions, including ConaLee’s books and ConaLee’s three younger siblings. ConaLee’s mother just gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. ConaLee manages her mother’s breastmilk using rags. ConaLee’s mother used to speak before Papa came home. ConaLee’s neighbor, Dearbhla, is like a grandmother to ConaLee, but Papa tells ConaLee not to talk about Dearbhla. ConaLee “sees lights” and “loses time”—an issue that began when Papa returned. Papa stops the wagon, and ConaLee lays down with her mother, losing time thinking about the constellations.

The next day, Papa says that they need to avoid towns on the way to Weston. Papa fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, and ConaLee was born just after he left in 1861. Papa notes how soldiers burned fields, and he knows how to survive in the wild. ConaLee feels like she can hear her siblings crying for their mother’s milk.