Summary

In "The Third Tower," Therese's friend Julia gives her a blank red notebook. Though she does not know what she will do with it, she keeps the book. While on the train to the hospital for a series of experimental tests, she uses the book to write down the flood of images she experiences when thinking of various words. At the hospital, the doctor records a series of details about Therese, including her frequent fainting spells resulting from her intellectual idiosyncrasies.

During his first assessment with Therese, the doctor asks Therese to respond to each word he recites. Therese's responses, however, prove unsatisfactory. He tells her to respond with whatever comes to mind first. The doctor seems disturbed by what she says. Therese goes back to her bare room and thinks about the history of her disorder. When she was...