The Gathering Summary

The story opens up with the death of Liam Hegarty, a young Irish man who has drowned at sea. His nine siblings, gather together for his wake.

His closest sibling, Veronica, is the moan protagonist of the story and the events are told through her viewpoint. Veronica wonders why her brother Liam resorted to alcohol as a means of coping before his eventual suicide. She begins to reflect on her family history and goes through the stages of what made Liam suicidal.

Veronica highlights the idea that the seeds for her brother’s death “were sown many years ago.” She blames it on her grandmother, Ada, who she, Liam, and her younger sister, Kitty, went to live with when they were younger. Though married, Ada was engaging in an affair with her ex-lover, Lambert.

One day, Veronica walks in and witnesses Liam being raped by Lambert. However, Veronica is not clear whether it was Liam or her who was being sexually abused and thus the idea of her an unreliable narrator is conveyed. Veronica believes that this experience Liam endured led him to lead a life full of despair and is what eventually led him to kill himself.

The story explores more feelings about her childhood as she goes on to collect Liam’s body and arrange for his funeral. At the same time, Veronica’s own marriage is disintegrating as it is revealed her husband has left her for another woman.
Eventually, the story ends with Veronica dreaming of escaping her life but instead she buys a ticket to return home.