Summary

The book begins in January with Dillard wondering where the tomcat is. A tomcat sometimes sneaks in through the open window in the summer leaving bloody paw prints on her chest and blanket. She cannot decide if the paw prints are a sign of a sacrifice or a sign of beauty. Now, in January when she hasn’t seen the tomcat in many months she wonders where he is and if he is alive at all.

Dillard goes for a walk along the creek and notes her observations. She marvels at the water bugs, the dragonfly nymphs and mockingbirds. She then begins to think of other wondrous things in the world, like sharks. Her observations and ruminations begin to form around this question: “What do we think of the created universe, spanning an unthinkable void with an unthinkable profusion of...