Summary

Chapter 5.3 shifts ahead about a year. Jude and Willem have stopped having sex, as Willem now knows how much Jude hates sex. With Jude’s tacit permission, Willem has begun having sex with women outside of their relationship. Willem makes sure that there is never any emotional element to these affairs. By this time, Jude has finally told Willem about the traumatic events of his past. As Jude promised Willem, Jude has been attending therapy, although Jude it still resistant and is not usually very active in the therapy sessions. Willem is sad that he cannot have a sexual relationship with Jude, but he still loves Jude. By this time, the construction of Willem and Jude’s upstate house—which they named Lantern House—has been completed. The functionality in Jude’s legs continues to decrease, and his legs are often numb or in...