Sunburn

In summer, there is nothing for Lucy Nolan to do in the small town of Crossmore, Ireland. She wonders if her mother has forgotten how precious small moments of independence are for teenagers. People assume that Lucy will marry her best friend, Martin Burke. When Martin changed schools, Lucy missed him, and she fantasized about marrying him on their Communion Day. Lucy joins her friends—Bernadette, Patricia, Maria, Eimear, Joan, and Susannah O’Shea—at the “chipper,” or restaurant. Lucy envies Susannah’s vintage jacket. The girls talk about the “Debs,” a formal ball for students’ sixth and final year of secondary school. Lucy and the girls are fourth years, with two more years before graduation. Fifth-year girls sometimes get asked to the Debs, but the fourth years still fantasize about being asked by a sixth-year boy.

Lucy is the bridge between the girls and boys because of Martin, but the girls get gossip from Maria’s older sister, Sorcha, who is a fifth year. Lucy thinks about Laragh Donnolley’s red bra, comparing it to her own white bras that feel both “juvenile” and “geriatric.” Lucy thinks that the girls talk about dresses to avoid talking about their emotions.