The Great Unexpected

Joe died of a heart attack, and Naomi quickly tires of the commonplace things people say to those who have just lost a loved one. Nula seems to be in shock and cannot answer when people ask what she will do now. The “Dingle Dangle” man hovers by the front gate during the funeral, but he never approaches the house. Within a few days of Joe’s death, Naomi notices a shift: She can see Joe in her mind and sense him nearby, and this feels natural to her. She can’t bear to hear anyone say he is gone, not even Lizzie, whom she pushes away.

Outside, Naomi sees Bo Dimmens, and he offers condolences. She asks him about Finn, and Bo doesn’t know who she’s talking about. Bo tells Naomi that Joe shot his dog. Naomi is shocked by this, but Bo tells her everyone else already knows. Bo says she probably doesn’t even know why no one in town has a dog and that she’s probably never even noticed. It was his dog, he says, that killed her dad and chewed up her arm, prompting Joe to convince the townsfolk that dogs are dangerous and to get rid of them.