Summary

Chapter 5 "Midas" opens with Elliot in front of an art installation in a gallery. At the installation, the viewer eats spoonfuls of honey, and then vomits into a provided bucket. Elliot takes the honey and vomits. The chapter switches to an unknown narrator approached in the park by an artist who was collecting Apricity readouts for an art project. His or hers read, “eat honey” (114). The artist is Elliot, and part of the installation in front of him. Out of hundreds of Apricity readouts, he has chosen seven for his installation. The second day of his installation will involve wrapping himself in a soft camel fur.

Elliot waits for his new, younger wife, Val, at the gallery. He is impatient for her arrival, as they have had a fight. She had told him she was involved with something bad in her past, but...