Summary

Nick Beron, the narrator and protagonist, narrates the events of the novel in the past tense as he reflects upon them. He opens the novel by stating that he used to not believe in ghosts. Nick says that to recount the events of his newfound acquaintanceship with ghosts and death, he must recount events that are very regretful and painful to him. He used to live in Astoria, Queens in New York City. He lived in an apartment with his long-term girlfriend, Hannah Rampe. Their relationship was suffering because they were almost 30 years old but were not yet engaged to be married. Nick was nervous about the idea of marriage. Moreover, Hannah had been laid off from the New York Historical Society, where she had worked as a writer of educational materials. Nick had originally wanted to be a famous musician, but he eventually...