Summary

In the Prologue, which is titled New York City, April 2010, Vivian Morris announces that she received a letter from a woman named Angela the other day. Surprised to hear that Angela's mother had recently passed away, Vivian recalls that in the letter Angela posed a question to her: "Given that my mother has passed away, I wonder if you might now feel comfortable telling me what you were to my father?" (2). Vivian announces to the reader that she is not sure what she was to Angela's father, but that she can explain what he was to her.

Analysis

The prologue portion of the novel helps establish some of the fundamental background information for why the speaker, Vivian, has decided to document her life in New York City. However, the prologue also helps retain a significant amount of mystery about how the story will unfold...