Past the Shallows Lesson Plan

What does Dad reveal about the night of Mum's death? Why do you think he chooses to reveal it in such a chaotic moment? Do you believe his account?

Dad reveals that the night of Mum's death, he had to take "him"—the man Miles remembers was Uncle Nick—and do away with his body to avoid scandal. Mum and Uncle Nick were lovers, and they were trying to escape together with the boys to start a new life. Miles remembers pieces of this, and realizes that his Dad left him and Harry alone and vulnerable with their mother's dead body, all to protect his own pride. Even worse, Dad's propensity for violence suggests that Uncle Nick might not have been dead at all. He might have...