Summary

This chapter recounts a trip Claudia took with Jasper just after the war to a chateau in France that served as a conference center for NATO officials. Jasper is attending the conference in hopes of ingratiating himself with the right people to land a job at NATO and leave his job at the Foreign Office. From his perspective, the conference center is a charming and well-appointed chateau that charms Claudia and serves as a comfortable backdrop for discussing important political matters. From Claudia’s perspective, however, the chateau is a de-historicized place rendered tacky by Disney-esque touches in its décor. Moreover, Claudia thinks the meeting itself is a joke. The NATO officials gathered there do not understand that history is complex and muddled and traumatic. They sit in leisure and luxury, analyzing imagined patterns in a reality they have failed to really engage.

Analysis

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