Chapter 7: Kathy's Coma

This chapter entitled “Holy Water” is basically a web of everyone the MacDonald family knows, dying. Before MacDonald gets into talking about everyone and their brother dying, he throws in a quick anecdote about his mother getting shot while in the kitchen. Although it was amusing (because she refused to go to the hospital, instead she wanted to go to the pub) it didn’t really relate to the rest of the chapter.

Michael’s sister, Kathy, ends up FALLING off of the roof while she is on drugs. I emphasize falling because Kathy supposedly got in an argument with someone and was pushed, while Davey voluntarily jumped. Kathy does not die from the fall; however she is in a coma for quite some time. While she is in a coma Michael visits her almost every day, and goes through the individuals who visit her. Many of the people that Michael mentions are dead, however MacDonald does mention (in a few cases at least) that although there were witnesses to some of the murders, the cases were never solved because nobody came forward. This emphasized the fact that Southie loyalty was a great virtue. If you were a ‘rat’ then you would most likely end up dead.

At one point, while Kathy was still in a coma, Michael’s grandfather went to visit Kathy. When he did, he brought holy water to throw on her in hopes of it bringing her out of the coma. After yelling at the nurses with…colorful language, he threw holy water on Kathy did the whole “if you can hear me, move your right hand” thing. Turns out she moved her right hand. When I read this, it brought to mind a scene in Friends, when Ross and Monica’s grandma dies then while they’re saying goodbye she comes back to life, and then dies again. Now that I know you guys love Friends, I’m not afraid to make these comparisons. Watch out.

About a year later, Kathy was up and walking (with the help of a walker). To emphasize the violence of Southie, MacDonald mentions that if she’s walking, most of the time it’s to go to a funeral. Given the way that this book was going, I fully expected Kathy to die, however her coming out of the coma was a pleasant surprise. But I’m sure someone will die in the next couple chapters and bring me down again.