Summary

In Chapter Four, Leiris sits in a bar while waiting to go identify Hélène’s body at the mortuary. He notes that he often enjoys sitting in bars, listening to pieces of others’ conversations. Today, however, the patrons are recounting his life, in that they are discussing the terrorist attacks and their aftermath. The author states that he does not truly care why his wife died or who killed her; these would not change the reality that she is dead. He claims that anger at the attackers is just a way to channel grief so that one does not have to acknowledge their own sadness at what remains of their life. Leiris rejects this thinking and states that he and Melvil will move forward with their own lives rather than becoming obsessed by the...