One of the first and most relevant passages in the book is when Patrick wakes up and hears the television and from that knows that his parents are still awake. He stays on the stairs and listens to 'Ma' and 'Da' arguing in the kitchen. We can tell that he doesn't want to believe that there is any serious trouble by the fact that as soon as it stops he 'realises' that it wasn't anything to worry about and goes back to bed.

Another event leading up to Paddy's parent's break up is when Ma decides that it is time they went out for a family outing. However, as it was raining they had to take th

Another of the most important pieces of this book is when Paddy is sitting on the stairs listening to his parents arguing and he is rocking back and forth. This shows that the tension between his parents is affecting him more than anyone thinks. The 'rocking' action can be described as tension deficit, which can be caused by loneliness or attention seeking.

e car and drive to a place that was close enough to walk but the weather wouldn't allow them to. The family has a picnic in the car but, oblivious to Paddy and his brother, his parents are having another disagreement. Patrick hears his mother say something but think that his father hears her. He doesn't realise that 'Da' is ignoring her. When 'Ma' leaves the car Paddy and his brother assume that she has gone for ice creams but she gets back in because "It was too wet for Cathy". Patrick knows

Some common words found in the essay are:
Roddy Doyle, Cathy Patrick, Ha Patrick, Ha Ha', Ha Bibliography, ha ha, Ha Ha, clarke ha ha, Paddy Clarke, Roddy Doyle's, clarke ha, paddy clarke, Clarke Ha, , ha ha ha, parent's break, doesn't realise, paddy's parent's, 'paddy clarke, 'ma' 'da', paddy's parent's break, roddy doyle, 'paddy clarke ha,
Approximate Word count = 573
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)