Summary

Chapter 7 opens in Nina’s apartment. Lianne, Nina, and Martin argue the moral and philosophical implications of the 9/11 attacks and the United States’ following military actions. Martin and Nina try to understand the realities of the attackers’ motivations, which Nina argues are chiefly religious, while Martin that they argues are actually more concerned with sociopolitical matters. They also discuss the symbolic meaning of the towers. Keith, missing his poker games, forms a habit of listlessly watching poker competitions on television. Lianne develops the hobby of reading works by Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. One day, Lianne clashes with the neighbors, a married couple named Elena and Marko. They play music loudly, and Lianne asks them to lower the volume but Elena and Marko do not wish to do so. An argument escalates between Lianne and Elena, and Lianne hits Elena in the face. Keith internally...