Summary

On April 27th, Valeria visits her mother, hoping to discuss the hostility she feels from Michele. Despite her mother’s past abhorrence for her son-in-law, she chides Valeria for speaking poorly of him. Valeria feels guilty for disappointing her partner and for being insufficient in her domestic duties, but with Guido she feels free from guilt. Shortly after, Valeria is overcome by the thought that she could die suddenly leaving the notebook unprotected.

On May 5th, Valeria admits to herself that she had decided to accept Guido’s invitation to go to Venice, the moment he asked. She had pretended, even her writing, that her protestations were backed by a desire to stay with her family because admitting it would mean “acknowedg[ing] that the effort [she] made to forget [herself] for twenty years has been in vain” (218). Valeria revels in her...