Summary

In “Prologue,” the narrator remembers loving old men when she “was a child” (1). What she likes about them now is that they “are composed of desire” (1).

She wrote these reflections while watching Vladimir sleep, tied to his chair. She could have tidied the cabin or worked on her book, but preferred this liminal space (3).

In Chapter I, the narrator had seen Vladimir, the new “full-time junior professor,” around the university where she taught (5). The first time they interacted, however, was when he stopped by unexpectedly. His awkwardness intrigued her. He brought a copy of his book for the narrator’s husband John, but John was out.

Over drinks, Vladimir talked about his daughter, Phee, and wife, Cynthia, who “would be teaching a memoir-writing class" (9). When the narrator said John was “getting a drink with a former student,” Vladimir seemed unnerved (9). John...