Chapter 8 (pages 467-477) Summary

The narrator is suddenly back in Palo Alto, California, with an extension on her doctoral thesis but her mind continues to dwell on Nelson and Africa. She finishes the tale of her last days in Africa in backflashes interspersed with a description of her current life. Things are going well for her in America. Her mother lives and works in a Lutheran nursing home and feels more secure and valued than she ever has. The narrator has been welcomed back into the academic community and given a good job as the editor and manager of obscure doctoral dissertations. She is also a highly paid speaker on the subject of the feminist village of Tsau.

The narrator's plan to throw Bronwen at Nelson went off without a hitch. Nelson's acquaintances in Gaborone were delighted to be invited to the party...