Summary

Chapter 7: One day, the photographer cries in the kitchen. He is alone in the house, sweeping the floor, when he feels joy, pain, and truth. His mother is still in the depths of grief over her mother's death. His father is not comfortable talking about emotions. Freddie is very much like their father. The photographer feels a new kind of isolation. He has worried about reaching this point, and that he might not “emerge intact.” He is on his knees, but does not believe in prayer. After the flood of emotions pass, he is able to evaluate his feelings. He becomes happy to simply be alive. The narrator notes that the photographer repeats the question, “how are you feeling?” (39). He had a similar experience the previous summer. Then, he went to a bar where musicians used their music to ask “how are you...