Chapter Twelve and Epilogue Summary

Nick is afflicted by acute homesickness. All around him he notices differences between Boston and Los Angeles. Nick complains about the climate, the fire trucks not being painted red, and the unfamiliar cuisine. He does strange things like trying to pay Puerto Ricans in the Roxbury neighborhood to act like Mexicans and trying to bottle bus exhaust so he can release it in his room because he misses Los Angeles smog. Gunnar tries to take Nick to the beach to help him relax. Nick cannot simply go home to Los Angeles because his mother has sold their house and returned to roller derby.

Nick brings up the subject of suicide and asks Gunnar about the tallest buildings in Boston. Gunnar mentions two of the tallest, but they do not have public access to the roof. Gunnar mentions...