Part 1: Chapter 4 Summary

Joan Didion works with Inez at Vogue briefly and meets Jack Lovett there when he drops in to see Inez. Jack travels the world and is in the information business. He is concerned with arms shipments and speaks of countries as "actors" and "state actors," with "non-state actors" being the real wild cards.

Part 1: Chapter 4 Analysis

Didion actually did work for Vogue at one time, but we know that Inez and Jack are her imaginative creations. In this chapter, she is connecting the three major characters: Inez, Jack, and herself. Jack is a mysterious character but an obviously powerful and effective one. He steps out of the shadows or emerges from the universe whenever Inez needs him.

Chapter 4 also clarifies again that is a love story. Jack and Inez fell in love when she was 17 and he was in his early...