Summary

In Chapter 5, Elsa demands to know where Mamush was and why it took him so long to get home. Mamush maintains his lie that his flight was delayed. He moves through the house, trying to avoid the mourners’ gazes. Meanwhile, he remembers other visits to the house. One time, Samuel hosted a gathering to celebrate Mamush’s writing success and later made a speech about immigrating to America. Around this time, Mamush was working as a reporter and writing stories that would “land [him] on television” (53). For one, he interviewed “a former engineer turned militia leader” (53). Throughout this period, Mamush was depressed, using and drinking heavily. Worried, Samuel made a surprise visit to Mamush’s Brooklyn apartment. He urged him to come work from DC and to “write a happy love story” instead (55). He cleaned Mamush’s apartment and reminded him to care...