A Bird in the House

At 12 years old, Vanessa MacLeod decides not to attend the Remembrance Day parade, disappointing her mother, Beth. She feels guilty over this decision, as if in making it, she is betraying her father, Ewen, who marches with other veterans. Viewing the soldiers as imposters, she returns home and slams the door, disturbing the carpet and prompting Grandmother MacLeod’s reprimand. In a conversation with her father, she accidentally mentions that the soldiers looked silly, which hurts him.

The family’s financial struggles due to the Depression are evident as Beth returns to work at Ewen’s medical practice, and they hire a maid, Noreen, whom they can barely afford. Noreen’s intense religiosity and personal hygiene habits create discomfort in the household.

Noreen shares her beliefs about heaven and hell with Vanessa, who is intrigued despite her skepticism. Vanessa’s interest in the supernatural is shown through her use of a Ouija board and table talking, which predicts that her aunt will not recover from an illness, leading Vanessa to stop using it.

In her room, Vanessa notices a sparrow trapped between the panes of her window. She opens the window to free it, but it violently flies around the room. Vanessa is primarily concerned about having to look at the bird if it injures itself. Noreen enters, suggesting the bird’s presence indicates an impending death in the house, which alarms Vanessa. Noreen then gently frees the bird, showing genuine concern, unlike Vanessa’s self-focused worry. After this incident, Vanessa consistently avoids participating in Ouija board sessions or table-talking activities.

During the service, Vanessa attends evening mass with Noreen and her father, drowsing off for a moment. A solemn hymn about the ransom of souls stirs her emotions, leading her to question the goodness of God if her recently deceased Grandmother Connor’s soul needed ransom. Observing her father during the hymn, she doubts his belief in the upliftment of prayer. She discusses her confusion with him afterward, learning that he views heaven and hell more metaphorically than literally, which confuses her further. She expresses her dislike for the hymn without fully understanding why.

During flu season, Vanessa falls ill, followed by her father, who becomes sick after tending to the ill in Manawaka. One night, amid a medical crisis, Vanessa awakens to her mother and Grandmother MacLeod urgently summoning Dr. Cates. The next morning, she discovers her father has pneumonia. Too risky to move, he remains at home, leading Vanessa and Beth to sleep together in the spare room for comfort.

Dr. Cates visits again the following night, and while Vanessa sits with Grandmother MacLeod, she distracts herself with “The White Company” by Conan Doyle, a book she has read multiple times. A sense of dread wakes her in the middle of the night, and she finds her mother crying. Instantly, she realizes her father has passed away. They spend the rest of the night holding each other in grief.

After her father’s death, Vanessa stays close to her mother, Beth, who tries to restrain her grief to private moments with Vanessa but sometimes fails. Grandmother MacLeod shows no tears, even at the funeral, but later appears unsteady at home. In a rare moment of vulnerability, she asks Vanessa for help walking up the stairs.

Returning to the kitchen, Vanessa encounters Noreen for the first time since her father’s death and is suddenly overwhelmed by the memory of the sparrow that Noreen said foretold death. In a burst of anger, Vanessa strikes Noreen repeatedly until both collapse to the floor. Noreen forgives her, attributing the outburst to her grief, and says she prays for Ewen’s entry into heaven despite not being “saved.” Vanessa sharply tells her to stop, denying the existence of heaven and God, which hurts Noreen more than the attack did.

Ewen’s death changes everything for the family. Beth sells the house, which the new owner covers in stucco, prompting Vanessa to avoid passing by. Noreen returns to her farm and the family disperses: Vanessa, Roddie, and Beth move in with Grandfather Connor, while Grandmother MacLeod moves to Winnipeg with her aunt. During her departure, Grandmother MacLeod remains emotionally distant, focusing on minor irritations, but leaves Beth with instructions for Roddie to inherit a family ring and Roderick’s watch chain.

By World War II, Vanessa is 17 and infatuated with an airman who does not reciprocate her feelings. Eager to escape Manawaka and her grandfather’s house, she finds a letter from 1919 written in French, along with a photograph of a young woman, in her father’s old desk. She imagines this woman as a brief escape from her father. When Beth inquires about her activities, Vanessa impulsively burns the letter and photo. As she watches the photo burn, Vanessa grieves anew for her father as though he had just died.