Summary

The second essay in Polley's collection of six essays begins as Jian Ghomeshi, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio personality, is being accused by several women of sexual assault. Polley remarks to friends that she is glad she was not choked by Ghomeshi. Her brother Mark and sister Jo are particularly confused by her statement because they remember her saying that Ghomeshi choked her when she was on a date as a teenager. Furthermore, they remember Polley saying that her neck hurt after he tried to choke her, the sex was painful, and Ghomeshi would not stop when Polley asked him to stop. Mark and Jo remember trying to comfort her as she could not stop shaking after the incident. Polley leaves all of these details out as she turns the frightening occasion into an often-told party story about...