Part 1: Chapter 3 Summary

This chapter fills in the family background of Inez Victor, née Christian. She has a sister, Janet; their mother, Carol, had abandoned them when they were young, largely because she had never felt truly accepted in her husband's family's social circle. The Christian family lived in Hawaii, where they were prosperous and socially prominent. Paul was the girls' father and was away on business much of the time; his brother, Dwight, was a successful businessman. Janet married Dick Ziegler, who was squeezed out of the container business by Dwight. That occurrence eventually led to tragedy when Paul shot and killed Wendell Omura, who was Janet's lover as well as a confidant of Dwight.

Lastly, Didion writes of Jack Lovett, Inez's lover when she was 17 in 1952. It is 1975 now, and Jack is 60.

Part 1: Chapter 3 Analysis

Again, Didion is summarizing the story...