Summary

Ariel Levy, the author and protagonist, opens her memoir by asking the reader if she ever talks to herself. Ariel talks to herself constantly and she refers to herself in the plural. Her competent-self addresses her bewildered-self: “We’re going to go over to the phone now and call for help with one hand and hold the baby with the other” (ix).

For the first time in her life, Ariel has lost her competent-self. This is only the latest in a series of catastrophic loses. Over the past few months, Ariel has lost her spouse, her child, and her home. She is consumed by grief and often finds herself gripping a counter or a friend’s body to avoid falling over.

Ariel worries she is too dramatic, too over-the-top. When neighbours ask about her baby, she tells them “He’s dead” (x). When they...