A Death in the Family Summary

The story begins with Rufus, a young boy, and his father, Jay, who share a special bonding time during a trip to the cinema. On their way back home, they stop at a pub where Jay gets a drink. Later that night, Jay receives a phone call from his alcoholic brother, Ralph, informing him of their father's heart attack. Doubtful of Ralph's credibility due his intoxicated state, but realizing the risk involved, Jay decides to go check on their father. Meanwhile, Jay's wife, Mary, wrestles with her feelings of animosity towards her father-in-law as she prays for the strength to love him and for her husband's religious awakening, a contentious point in their marriage.

The following day, Mary informs their children that Jay has gone to see their grandfather and will return by nightfall. Jay, however, finds that Ralph had exaggerated their father's condition, leaving him frustrated for making the trip. Meanwhile, Rufus's great-aunt Hannah takes him shopping and gifts him a new cap. That evening, Mary receives a distressing phone call indicating Jay's involvement in an accident and that a male relative should be sent over. After a tense wait with Hannah and her parents, Mary's brother Andrew confirms her worst fear - that Jay is dead, killed instantly in a car accident caused by a mechanical failure.

The following day, Rufus wakes up excited to show his new cap to his father, only to be met with the devastating news of his father's death. The news leaves him and his sister Catherine in a state of confusion. The children, dressed by Hannah, attend their father's wake at their grandparents' house. Later, Rufus learns from Andrew about a beautiful butterfly that had landed on their father's coffin during the burial service, offering some solace. But Andrew's anger towards the priest for refusing to read the full burial service due to Jay's unbaptized status, leaves Rufus pondering whether his uncle also resents Mary and Hannah for their religious inclinations.