Summary

Chapter 1

Michael Dillon is the manager of the Clarence Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He is preparing the arrangements for the day - the graduation week and an Orange Order congress.
Later Dillon phones his mistress, Andrea, because he wants to take a walk with her. He picks her up and they take a romantic walk in the Lover's lane. They talk about their past history, moving to London, Dillon's up-coming divorce and the first time Dillon met Moira and Andrea.
He drives Andrea back to her apartment and then he drives home to Moira. When he walks up the entryway he notices that his cat is gone, but he does not pay further attention to it.
Moira is awake when Dillon comes home. She is together with her friend Peg Wilton. Dillon drives Peg home, and they talk about Peg offering Moira a job in her shop.
When he comes home he sees the dead cat lying on the ground, but he does not tell Moira because he has something else to tell her - he is planning to tell Moira about his mistress and that he wants a divorce. As he steps in the phone rings. He picks it up and hears Peg´s voice saying: "Remember, don't say anything. Be surprised"
Moira tells Dillon that she suffers from bulimia and asks him to go to bed. But Dillon says that he has got some bills to pay. When he sits in his study, he sees a white car parked across the street. In the car there are two persons - a boy and a girl. The boy turns his head toward Dillon's window and Dillon walks away from the window and into the bedroom. Moira and Dillon talk about Moira working in Peg's shop. Dillon is having difficulties telling Moira about them getting divorced, and in the end Moira says: "Don't leave me. Please?" She moves across the bed and spoons into his back. Dillon gives her a kiss, a traitor´s kiss, and tells her to go to sleep.

Chapter 2

Dillon cannot sleep, so he gets up. He looks down at the garden and sees that the white Ford is still parked in his entryway. He sees two men coming into his garden, so he goes downstairs to reach the telephone, but two men break into the house, and stop him. They are wearing masks and gloves, and they are pointing a revolver at Dillon. The men tell him that they are from the IRA. They order him to go upstairs and wake up his wife, and tell him that they both have to get dressed. Moira begins to put on her make up.
They are led downstairs into the sitting-room where they are placed in the sofa by the gunmen. One of the gunmen tells them that they are going to be in the house until the morning, and if they try to escape or trick them, they will be hurt. One of the gunmen looks at Moira in a sexual way, and Moira begins to argue with him, and therefore Dillon gets upset, and tries to defend her. Dillon is pushed back down on the sofa, with a gun poked in his chest. The gunman shouts at him in a high-pitched voice, which makes Dillon realise that they are only youngsters. Maybe that is why they call each other "Volunteer".
Dillon and Moira discuss what the IRA men are going to do with them, and Dillon says that if they just do what they are told, they will not be hurt, and the fat guy says that Dillon is right. Moira starts to weep, and Dillon considers whether he will ever be able to leave her after this incidence, and he realises, that he has never really loved her.
Moira says that she has to go to the toilet, and while she is in the bathroom, she escapes through the window. When Kev discovers that she is not in there anymore, he climbs out of the window on to the roof, and catches her. Moira screams, but there is no sign of anybody in the neighbourhood.
When they return to the house Dillon says to Kev that he has to leave Moira alone, and Kev gets scared because Dillon knows his name. When Kev wants to smoke, he lifts up his mask, but he makes sure that he is standing with his back to Dillon and Moira. Unfortunately for Kev Dillon sees him in the mirror, and he realises that Kev's chin is hairless like a boy's and that he has bad acne.
Outside a police car is coming up the avenue, so the atmosphere in the house gets very tense, but nothing really happens. The police car stops outside the house and afterwards they get out of the car and check the area, but shortly after they drive away again.
Dillon realises that he does not know what they are going to do.

Chapter 3

It is shortly after seven and Kev turns on the light and raises the blind. Suddenly the milkman shows up and Dillon, Moira and the IRA men wait in silence until he leaves again.
Across the street Dillon sees Mr. Harbinson who takes his dog for a walk. Dillon thinks that Mr. Harbinson, who is a Protestant, is no more a religious Protestant than Dillon is a religious Catholic and would never fight a civil war to prevent Ulster from becoming a part of the Irish Republic. Like the ninety per cent of the people in Ulster, he just wants to get on with his life.
A tall youth comes in followed by a masked IRA man and asks Dillon to step outside, and then Moira becomes hysterical. Moira reaches out for Dillon in panic, but the IRA man takes Dillon out in the hall and they go upstairs. They go into his bedroom where he changes into his morning suit and the IRA man asks him to shave and tidy up his hair.
The IRA man tells him about the plan and asks him to take his normal route to work and park his car in his reserved parking space. He may not go into the hotel but instead go straight back to the security hut and out on the street again. He shall go to Murray's shop across the street, where he shall wait a few minutes until a green Taxi picks him up and drives him home to Moira.
The IRA man tells him that there is a bomb planted in his car and that they want to bomb his hotel, and if he does not do what he is told they will kill Moira.
Dillon says goodbye to Moira and takes off. On the way to the hotel his life passes by.
Dillon arrives at the hotel and drives into the car park and sees that the main lobby is crowded with people. The car park is already full and a tour bus is waiting for a French group. He looks up at the windows of the Emerald Room above him. There are men and women sitting there whom he cannot locate and he thinks that they look like Americans. He realises that they are in the Canadian Orange Order Supporters who have arrived to hear Pottinger speak.
Pottinger arrives with his group and people applaud them. Dillon realises that he is less than 20 feet from Pottinger. Dillon wonders why they want to kill Pottinger and that it will be his fault if the bomb goes off.
He walks away from his parking space and passes the windows of the main restaurant which is adjoining the Emerald Room. He thinks of all the people who will never eat food again. He thinks of the future and if he can ever visit his friends again.
He walks on, and is going down the driveway towards the security gates. He has a feeling that someone is following him. He looks back and sees a delivery boy who is carrying a floral arrangement in a wicker basket. Maybe he could be an IRA lookout. He looks at his watch as he comes out to Malone Street. It is eight-thirty-five and he has been inside exactly seven minutes. Dillon crosses the road and walks over to the Murray's shop. At the same time he opens the door, he sees a girl in a yellow muffler crossing the street behind him.
Suddenly, in a rush, he pushes past the people in the checkout line and asks where there is a phone because it is an emergency. He dials 999 and reports the bomb. He is asked to go back to the hotel and evacuate the hotel at once. The police arrive and Dillon takes them to his Renault. Two Army Land Rover's race into the car park and soldiers tumble out.
Dillon is called back to his car where he is asked if he has seen them place the bomb. A bomb specialist comes with all his equipment. Dillon is asked to leave the car, which is surrounded by soldiers. All people in the building are out on the street in safety. Dillon borrows Maggie's car and drives in panic home to Moira. In the car his life passes by. He feels guilty because he might have killed Moira. He sees a police car in front of the house and assumes that the IRA is not in the house anymore, but is Moira dead? A policeman opens their door and leads Dillon in to Moira. He hugs Moira and he almost feels like crying. But realises that she is not returning the kiss or the hug. Detective Inspector Harry Randall says to Dillon that Moira is in shock. Dillon finds out that he had called the police after the IRA men had left the house. Then Dillon is asked to tell the whole event one more time so the Inspector can get at clear picture of the situation. Moira seems to be mad at Dillon for risking her life. She wants Dillon and her to tell someone because she feels like she is in danger, but the Inspector asks her not to for her own protection.
The Inspector asks them if they can leave...

juliettez 11 juni 2008 @ 14:29 uur Ik vind dit een goede samenvatting. Ik moet het boek nu lezen omdat ik er morgen een proefwerk over heb, en dit stuk heeft me daar erg bij geholpen omdat ik gewoon niet door het echte boek heen kom. Ookal is het een beetje ´droog´geschreven. Groetjes! Juliette