Summary

In Chapter 1, while in Quellón, Chile, the narrator studies the island and her surroundings. For three months, she has been “working as a cook at a couple of summer camps” (7). Every night, she goes into town and drinks.

Although “just a mess-hall cook,” the narrator enjoys working with food (8). It feels essential. When she lost her last job before coming to Chile, her boss told her she was the problem. She was not a team player. She wanted to work alone “and still make a living” (8).

After she gets the job on the boat, they take a car to the docks. She studies the islanders around her. As she descends into the boat, the human sounds dissipate. As “the sea surges,” the people on board drink (9). The narrator feels content with her newfound freedom.

Tired “of inventing resumes” and pretending “life had a...