Chapter 5 Summary

Isabel tells Amal about a hurried meeting with 'Omar in a New York restaurant. He knows her from somewhere. Isabel is in love with him, as are many women. Isabel visits her mother to tell her about the famous, older, divorced man she has met, but nothing registers until, suddenly, Jasmine grows chatty about a sweet, radical young man she once had been involved with. Shocked, Isabel presses for details, but Jasmine's mind drifts away.

Chapter 5 Analysis

Chapter 5 sets up the embarrassing three-way relationship (Amal-'Omar-Jasmine) that will be resolved only late in the novel. The in-and-out state of an Alzheimer patient's mind helps conceal that truth and bring out the complex, frustrating mother-and-daughter relationship.