Part 1 - Wisconsin, Fall, 1907 - Chapters 7, 8 and 9 Summary

Chapter 7: One day, Truitt tells Catherine the story of his life - his indulgent, busy father, his relationship with his mother, his constant lustful desires, of his young adulthood, of his meeting Emilia. He then tells her how, while Emilia was pregnant, he had a house built for her with material shipped from Italy, how part of the house included a secret Italian garden, how she moved in shortly after their daughter (Francesca) was born, and how she insisted on sleeping in a separate bedroom. He describes how he had a piano teacher brought from Italy, how the teacher and Emilia had a long affair, how Francesca became ill with influenza (survived, but was brain damaged), and how Emilia gave birth to another child, Antonio. Eventually, he says, he caught the...