Summary

First-person narrator Lucy Barton’s first husband was William Gerhardt. Because William has recently "been through some very sad events," Lucy feels compelled to talk about him (3). When Lucy's second husband, David, died last year, she grieved for him and William. Instead of talking about David, she prefers "to speak of" William (3).

They "were married for almost twenty years" before Lucy left him (4). They have two daughters, Chrissy and Becka, and have remained friends.

Lucy begins her story about two years ago, "when William was sixty-nine" (5). William worked as a lab assistant. He was living with his third wife, Estelle, with whom he had a daughter, Bridget.

One morning over coffee, William told Lucy about his night terrors. They often "had something to do with his mother" (11). After waking, he would lie next to Estelle and think about Lucy. Lucy had always been...