Summary

Chapter 1 introduces Miriam Delaney, a woman in her thirties who has not left her house in three years. In addition, Miriam is only able to speak in a whisper. Miriam, considering going outside again, lists her fears, including "going back to where it happened" and "having no capacity to know that I'm already just like my mother" (11-12). She thinks back to her childhood when the headmaster found her mother, Frances, wearing only socks as she was doing her cleaning work. The chapter ends with Miriam's friend Fenella giving her advice on life, which Miriam finds to be mostly clichés that have little meaning or that only cause her confusion.

Chapter 2, “Move over Darling,” introduces Ralph, a married psychotherapist with two twin sons. Stanley, one of the twins, thinks constantly about his friend Joe and their recent kiss that had been amazing...