The Man Who Gave Up His Name, Chapter 2 Summary

Nordstrom is much happier the summer he spends with his daughter, three years after the divorce. In August, Nordstrom and Sonia move to the house he has rented in Marblehead. He likes to watch the sea instead of keeping up with the world. While cooking, Nordstrom has a strange, intense feeling that precipitates his radical change. He waits for Sonia, feeds the cat, and stares off into space, just allowing himself to feel the feeling. Sonia senses a change in her father, but she does not question him about his daily tasks of coffee, helping the maid, shopping, cooking, and watching the sunset.

Nordstrom tells Sonia and her boyfriend, Phillip, to invite some friends from Cambridge. Sonia tells Nordstrom to get a girlfriend. Nordstrom later sees two of Sonia's...