Greta Work

Greta Work is the 45-year-old main character of the novel. Roughly a year prior to the narrative present, Greta ended her 10 year relationship with her fiancé Stacy. Although Stacy made Greta feel protected and safe, she eventually realized that she needed more independence. In relocating to Hudson, New York, therefore, Greta is effectively starting her adult life over. She moves into an “ancient Dutch farmhouse” with her old friend Sabine, and takes up residence in the bottom floor of the dilapidated structure (11). Although the house is uninsulated and crumbling, Greta accepts this new, rugged lifestyle. She also feels content with her new job as a transcriptionist for a local sex therapist named Om. Even though she has not healed from her own childhood trauma, Greta prefers to listen to others spill their secrets than to talk about her own.

The first time Greta hears Om’s newest...