Summary

Chapter 4 resumes in Munich four years later. Carla is an actress on tour. The Pringsheims host a formal dinner to celebrate Thomas’ engagement to Katia. Thomas feels the difference between her family and his own.

A few weeks before the wedding, Thomas chats with Klaus as Katia gets ready. Klaus says that in Munich, it is normal for men to kiss. Thomas changes the subject to the composer Gustav Mahler. When Katia comes down, Klaus says he wishes twins could marry. Thomas feels excluded.

Katia and Thomas have a civil ceremony. They travel to Zurich for their honeymoon. On their wedding night, they have sex. Thomas pictures her as a boy.

Thomas is intrigued by Katia and what he calls “her Jewishness” (76). She is adamant that her family is atheist. A few months after the wedding, they go to Berlin to stay with...