Summary

Chapter 1 opens with a dwarf smiling at the unnamed narrator. The narrator reflects on the Proust questionnaire and how she thought that “the electric pencil sharpener separated [her] from adult life” (1). She considers that to “unlearn yourself is more important than knowing yourself” (2).

The narrator continues to see the dwarf around town and buys a notebook. She thinks about Jonás, the narrator’s boyfriend who is currently away grieving the loss of his mother. She thinks about going to a gallery opening with Jonás and how Jonás can be quite serious.

The narrator considers that if she could be a bird, she would be a swallow. She considers the sea and how the sea can mess with perception of getting closer or further away. She wonders if stairs are “going up or down” (11).

In Chapter 2. The narrator considers when Jon...