Summary

The book opens with Scene One of a play. Wren tells Lewis that his failure to launch a New York acting career led him to become the excellent teacher that he is. She tells him that he can go back to theater again if he wants, but he tells her that he does not want that anymore. He tells her that his artistic failings led him to her with her bird wrists and efficient days and list making. He believes she made him better. Lewis asks Wren to marry him.

Their April wedding is small and practical. Wren has been on her own since she was 16 years old. In May Lewis’s nose starts to change from bone to cartilage, worrying Wren. Lewis goes to the doctor who tells him to get in to see specialists quickly. Meanwhile, the skin on...