Summary

The novel opens with the statement that William Waters “was not an only child” (3) for the first six days of his life; his older sister, Caroline, dies soon after his birth. His parents grow cold and distant. William excels at basketball and, in high school, has a growth spurt. When he fractures his knee, he feels a profound lack of “usefulness” (7). In 1978, William earns a scholarship to Northwestern University; as leaves his childhood home in Boston, he has “the strange thought that he might never see his parents again” (8). At Northwestern, William studies history and eventually meets the extremely ambitious Julia Padavano. Julia quickly “decide[s] they would be boyfriend and girlfriend” (10). William befriends a fellow basketball player, Kent. Julia’s sisters—Sylvie, Cecelia, and Emeline— attend one of his basketball games.

Julia grew up in Pilsen, a working-class Chicago neighborhood. Her mother...