Summary

Jay and his family are driving back to New York from Connecticut, with Celeste in the passenger seat beside Jay. Jay tells Mimi about a Japanese foundation myth involving a mother pushing her baby out to sea. The baby's name was Hiruko, which means “leech child” (139). They get in another argument about the cat and Mimi accuses Jay of being “a shit dad” (140). She wants him to put the cat down because she is old and ill.

In Chapter 8, Jay is preparing for his trip to Berlin to take the deed of the house to Yuki. He calls Annika and leaves a message, inventing a lie about a possible show at the Whitney in an effort to convince her not to leave him for Quentin Taupe. Mimi asks him to take the baby out so she can get some work done, and...