Summary

In Chapter 41, Tom fleshes out the world he came from. He begins with the clean air, architecture made entirely of plants, and machines that told you whether you would get along with a new person, then moves on to the way in which storytelling was different. Each story was tailored to the fears, interests, and dreams of the person consuming it, unlike the novels of this new world.

Chapter 42 brings us back to the time-travel lab. Tom describes the moments before he traveled back in time: the realization that he was acting partly out of revenge and the fleeting thought that he might be doing something illegal or dangerous. Despite this, he turned the time machine on, got in, and was gone.

Breaking from the style of the novel so far, Chapter 43 simply provides a third-person summary of Chapters 1-42.

Chapter 44 switches back...