Summary

Chapter 2 marks the beginning of a later therapy session. Andrew talks about diary entries he wrote while on a recent vacation in New England. Andrew is writing from a cabin in New England, where he is taking a brief vacation. He thinks about the writer Mark Twain, who also suffered great personal loss. Twain also wrote in his own diary about the despair that existence itself might merely be an illusion. Andrew then reflects upon his own life, and he laments that, seemingly, much of life is comprised of wasted time and missed opportunities. Andrew then talks about his childhood in Montcalm, New Jersey. One day, a driver swerved to avoid hitting young Andrew; the driver then crashed and died. Andrew’s family became unwelcome in the neighborhood after that, and they moved to New York City. Andrew’s parents got him a pet...