Leda's Rented Apartment on the Ionian Coast

When Leda first decides to rent an apartment at the coast during July and August, she envisions herself relaxing there, enjoying the sunshine and ocean views from the terrace, and working leisurely on her course preparation for the fall semester. Instead, the apartment becomes largely a place of anxiety for Leda, particularly after she steals Elena's doll and keeps it hidden in her rented rooms. Leda moves the doll around the apartment, examining it with thoughts of her daughters and mother and ruminating about the past. The apartment can be a kind of sanctuary for Leda, to which she removes herself from the chaotic action on the beach, and yet being alone in the apartment, with the nearby lighthouse shining its powerful beam through her windows, also forces Leda to confront herself and her anxieties.

The Beach

Much of the novel's action...