Summary

Part I begins with the protagonist, Alma, remembering a friend from her past who was a successful writer. The friend, who is not named in the novel, was very successful before Alma was successful. They had a close but difficult relationship. The friend supported Alma’s career which eventually took off. Alma became a well-known author, writing under the pen name Scheherazade. The friend was writing a book over many years that she seemed unable to finish, about a character named Clio. Alma’s friend became increasingly difficult, so Alma tried to create some distance between them. On her way to her home country of the Dominican Republic (DR), Alma received a call from the friend to tell her that she had been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric institution. The friend asked Alma to come and help her get out. Alma declined, suggesting...