skelling q

Ten-year-old Michael and his parents have recently moved to a dilapidated house on Falconer Road. While they work on renovating the house, Michael's sister is born prematurely. Due to her critical heart condition, it is not clear whether she will survive. Michael deeply cares about her, so this situation puts him under an extraordinary amount of stress.

He is also startled by the discovery of a filthy and crotchety man in the garage, who seems to be rotting away between dusty items. However, Michael does not tell anyone about the man; instead, he provides him with the two things he craves most: Chinese food and beer. Michael learns that the man suffers from arthritis and is therefore unable to move. He also feels something odd between the man’s shoulder blades—he thinks they might be wings.

At the same time, Michael’s schoolfriends drift apart from him. He stops coming to school and spending time with his friends, instead helping his father at home. He becomes acquainted with a girl called Mina, who lives further down the road.