Summary

In Chapter 4, Barlow (still in an interview with Charlie) reveals that nothing came from the kiss in New York. They did not see each other until the next summer when Lovecraft came to stay with Barlow and his family again. Barlow constantly tried to seduce Lovecraft, but it was not working. One day, the two of them got into an argument about slavery, during which Barlow realized Lovecraft held racist views and is not someone Barlow should be in love with, though he did acknowledge that these views were probably a product of his difficult childhood. Charlie and Barlow discuss the different possible interpretations of "The Night Ocean," the story Barlow wrote with Lovecraft; it could easily describe Lovecraft's outlook or Barlow's. At one point, Barlow got frustrated with Lovecraft's apparent lack of desire in him, and...