Manhattan

From Nyack, Lila and Phaedrus sail to the dock in Manhattan. The entire second section of the book is spent on the island of Manhattan. Here Lila and Phaedrus encounter Jamie and Fatso and are bombarded by the corruption, chaos and culture shock of New York City. Phaedrus meets with his publisher as well as with Robert Redford to discuss movie rights to his first book and, in very Phaedrus fashion, ponders the idea of the city as "the Giant," consuming the lives of its inhabitants the way a farmer consumes his livestock. Separated from Phaedrus, Lila does not fare well in Manhattan. After the disastrous meeting with Jamie and Fatso, she wanders the streets, quickly losing her grasp on reality. Her lowest point is sitting in a restaurant and drinking, preparing to order a meal and hopefully come up with a plan, when she discovers that...