Summary

The first numbered section in "The Collector" opens with a question: "What is your name?" (13). The protagonist, an unnamed man about to board a flight out of Cuba, is being questioned by the checkpoint officer. Cuba is the protagonist's home, and as he struggles to tell the officer his name he is struck by the realization that he will never see "that familiar seascape again" (14). He is overcome by dizziness as the officer tries to look at his face to see if it matches his passport.

The narrative moves to its second part, and moves backwards in time to before Cuba had been visited by foreigners. The native Cubans traveled by boat, using small canoes and staying close to the shore. They killed and ate turtles, and used different methods to hunt a variety of fish and shellfish. They used fish bones...