Summary

The first chapter of Adelle Waldman’s novel establishes the character of its main protagonist, Nathaniel P., by means of his interactions with other people, from a former lover to his best friend. We first meet Nathaniel on a crowded street, where a woman whom he only went out with three or four times, Juliet, recognizes him. Before she does so, she looks pleased, only to grimace when she realizes whom he really is. He is the fellow who got her pregnant. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the encounter turns ugly when Nathaniel says he is in a hurry to go to a dinner party. Juliet cuts him off saying, “You could have at least—” (2). Nathaniel wants to know what she means, but needs to get going, so he excuses himself. In return, she resorts to name-calling, accusing him of being an asshole...