Summary

This chapter marks a new and final section of the novel, set in Lincolnton, Georgia, in 2095. It is narrated from the perspective of Simon and Karina’s son, Benjamin, who is recalling the events in hindsight. At this point, Simon is mobile and mostly recovered, save for his occasional cognitive drifts which cause him to “retract from the world” (263). Benjamin narrates about meeting Sarat for the first time when he was six years old, when she returned home from Sugarloaf.

Karina comes home exhausted with Sarat and introduces her to Benjamin. He is surprised by her “huge, hunched body” (264) and remarks that she looks nothing like the photograph he once saw of her. He is startled that she did not bring him a gift like the pilgrim women do. Sarat is surprised by the changes that Karina and Simon made to the property and...