Summary

Chapter 17 is narrated in the first person by Vivek, who begins the chapter with a memory of himself and Osita in Vivek’s bedroom. Vivek tells Osita that he dreamt he was their grandmother, who spoke in Igbo, saying “Hold my life for me” (160). Vivek asks Osita if he believes in reincarnation. Osita says he is not sure it matters, and remarks that people in the village talk about how their grandmother died on the same day Vivek was born. He tells Vivek that only he knows “what’s been happening” (161) in his head and that deep inside him is a compass that will tell him if he is right or wrong. Vivek asks if that is how Osita makes decisions and Osita looks at their naked bodies before replying “Only the important ones” (161).

Chapter 18 is narrated in the third person. It describes...