Summary

The novel opens with a short preface where the two brothers climb a utility pole in an abandoned lot. The older brother impresses upon the younger brother the importance of memory and paying attention to each move one makes in life. Chapter one begins in the narrative present. Aisha returns to Toronto after ten years away. Her father has recently died of cancer, and she did not know he was sick until the very end of his life. After learning of her father's death, Michael asked Aisha to come visit the Park, the housing complex they both grew up in. Michael meets Aisha as she gets off the bus and invites her to stay with him. When they enter his house, Michael's mother is catatonic on the couch, and Aisha expresses doubt about having come but says that she "still think[s] of Francis...