Summary

In Chapter 22, Cem returns to Istanbul, feeling guilty and believing himself to have killed Mahmut. Cem resolves to think about Mahmut as little as possible and to “act as if nothing happened” (117). To distract himself from his guilt, he rekindles friendships with other students. One day, he tells his friends about losing his virginity to Gülcihan.

In Chapter 23, Cem begins to worry that Mahmut’s corpse will be found in the well and that the police will be sent for Cem. However, police never appear. In 1987, Cem is admitted to Istanbul Technical University, where he then studies engineering geology, having set aside his aspirations of being a writer. Meanwhile, Cem remains somewhat obsessed with the story of Oedipus and how it relates to his own story.

In Chapter 24, while at university, Cem meets a student named Ayse, and they begin dating. They soon...