Part IV: Lost Letters Summary

The main character (as deemed by Kundera later in the novel) is introduced. She is one of the two or three fictionalized characters that Kundera assumes are born every second on earth. Tamina works as a waitress in a small cafe and earns very little money. She is thought to be a good listener because she does not interrupt others with stories about herself. Bibi is a regular customer and tells Tamina that she is going to Prague for the summer. Tamina asks her to pick up a parcel at her stepmother's house, which Bibi promises to do. Tamina left Bohemia with her husband illegally and in order to not arouse suspicion, they left the parcel with all of their love letters to one another at her stepmother's home. While they are abroad, Tamina's husband becomes ill...