Summary

“At the Museum” takes place in the narrator’s favorite museum, which is usually empty. The narrator notices a woman enter, who looks like a beleaguered foreigner. The woman takes her shoes off and rests on the bench, filling the space without taking note of any of the exhibits. The narrator finds she respects the woman’s presence and lack of self-consciousness.

The narrator recounts her experiences going to a therapist in “On the Couch.” For a year, the narrator went across town to her therapist’s home, situated in a beautiful courtyard. The narrator recalls discussing many of her problems with her mother, as well as a few nightmares she had been having. At the end of the session, she tells her therapist how much she enjoys writing on her balcony in the morning.

In “On the...