Ben and Cillian’s Shared Parenting

The Knife of Never Letting Go

Ben and Cillian raise Todd through contrasting temperaments, shared love, and a morally compromised decision to protect him from the town’s coming-of-age rite.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Two Different Guardians Two Different Guardians from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". Two Different Guardians Care in contrasting forms Ben is gentle and patient, while Cillian is stern and quick to argue.

Two Different Guardians from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". Two Different Guardians Care in contrasting forms Ben is gentle and patient, while Cillian is stern and quick to argue.

Two Different Guardians Care in contrasting forms Ben is gentle and patient, while Cillian is stern and quick to argue. Todd experiences their differences as a familiar tension within his home. A family made by choice Neither is Todd’s biological father, but both have raised and taught him since his mother died. Their care is practical, imperfect, and deeply consequential.

Work and Friction Work and Friction from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". Work and Friction Conflict over responsibility Cillian scolds Todd for failing to bring home apples and directs him back to farm work.

Work and Friction from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". Work and Friction Conflict over responsibility Cillian scolds Todd for failing to bring home apples and directs him back to farm work.

Work and Friction Conflict over responsibility Cillian scolds Todd for failing to bring home apples and directs him back to farm work. Todd hears the reprimand as unfairness, while Cillian’s Noise reveals worry beneath his irritation. Love poorly expressed Cillian’s care rarely arrives in a gentle form. The everyday conflict makes his later farewell more significant, revealing affection that Todd has not fully recognized.

A Shared Secret A Shared Secret from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". A Shared Secret Agreement under pressure Ben and Cillian have planned Todd’s escape together, hiding the truth from him to prevent the Mayor from learning…

A Shared Secret from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". A Shared Secret Agreement under pressure Ben and Cillian have planned Todd’s escape together, hiding the truth from him to prevent the Mayor from learning…

A Shared Secret Agreement under pressure Ben and Cillian have planned Todd’s escape together, hiding the truth from him to prevent the Mayor from learning their intentions. Their shared decisions reflect years of mutual trust. Different roles in the departure Ben guides Todd toward the Swamp, while Cillian stays behind to resist the pursuers. The separation is a coordinated act of love rather than a disagreement between the guardians.

Cillian’s Last Stand Cillian’s Last Stand from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". Cillian’s Last Stand Staying behind Cillian takes Davy’s rifle and prepares to hold off the pursuers while Ben sends Todd away.

Cillian’s Last Stand from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". Cillian’s Last Stand Staying behind Cillian takes Davy’s rifle and prepares to hold off the pursuers while Ben sends Todd away.

Cillian’s Last Stand Staying behind Cillian takes Davy’s rifle and prepares to hold off the pursuers while Ben sends Todd away. His embrace is awkward and painful, yet his words make his love explicit. A farewell Todd cannot complete The explosion and gunfire end Todd’s chance to say goodbye properly. He later learns that Cillian died defending the farm, confirming that his guardian’s final act was protection.

Care and Complicity Care and Complicity from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". Care and Complicity A morally costly choice Ben says he and Cillian did not fight the massacre because Todd was a baby who would otherwise have been left…

Care and Complicity from "The Knife of Never Letting Go". Care and Complicity A morally costly choice Ben says he and Cillian did not fight the massacre because Todd was a baby who would otherwise have been left…

Care and Complicity A morally costly choice Ben says he and Cillian did not fight the massacre because Todd was a baby who would otherwise have been left unprotected. They survived, but they were not innocent bystanders. Love does not erase history Todd must reconcile their choices with their tenderness toward him. Their parenting remains an act of love, but the story refuses to make love a simple absolution.

During Todd’s account of life on the farm

On Todd’s return from apple-picking

As the escape plan is revealed

During the explosion at the farm

During Ben’s confession at the cemetery