Summary

Part 1 begins with the as-yet-unnamed 17-year-old narrator recalling the first time he ever saw a particular man who went on to become very important to him. The 24-year-old man came to stay in the narrator’s parents’ house in Italy one summer. His parents took in young academics every summer to give them time to work on their books. Each summer, the narrator had to give up his bedroom to a houseguest for six weeks. The narrator tries to recall the exact moment that his feelings for this particular houseguest began.

On the guest’s first day, the narrator took him on a tour of the grounds. They rode by bike into the nearby town. The narrator enjoyed the guest’s company but also felt that he was being distant and condescending. One night, the narrator sensed that the guest was watching him and...