Summary

In Chapter V, “El Caldero,” Juan had done research to learn more about Zhenya and Jan Gay. He discovered their birth names, their names “in the local papers,” and connections between Zhenya’s books and her autobiography (185).

Zhenya and Jan met in 1927 (187). They “surreptitiously ‘married’” and changed their names (187). While traveling and working in Central America, they met Juan, “whose parents had entrusted the boy into their care” (187). Juan admitted he was unafraid of being with them, as he had little sense of “time,” “space,” and “distance” (189).

Juan invented a film tracing Jan’s story for the narrator. Some time into Jan’s research on sexual variants, she met Doctor Henry. He examined her. During the examinations, she told him about her manuscript and studies, all of which Henry later stole. Juan argued Janm never could have known that “her story [would] be...