In Helen Recorvits' novel Goodbye, Walter Malinski, life is very touch for Wanda Malinski and her family. Her father has lost his job which makes for a great amount of tension in the family. Wanda's father often takes out his frustration on her older brother, Walter. In a surprising turn of events, Walter and Wanda were playing near some thin ice on a pond and Walter fell in a drown. This loss temporarily tore the Malinski family apart. In the end though, they were able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and put their family back together.