Summary

Irene recalls her affair with Germaine. Despite her strong feelings for him, Irene “simply discarded the truth” (105) of her infidelity. One day, she returns home to find Gil angry that Florian had lied about a book report. He pushes Florian’s head against the table; Irene calms her husband and then comforts Florian. She takes a photograph of the bruise on his forehead. Irene confronts her husband and tells him that “you need to get back into counseling” (112). She begs him to let her leave with the children, but Gil tells her that a judge would never award custody to “a depressed, dysfunctional woman who drinks too much” (113). Riel overhears the conversation and resolves to attack her father.

The next day, Gil agrees to see a therapist. Riel fills notebooks with observations and predictions of the past and future. She obsesses over the...