45 pages • 1 hour read
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Chapter Summaries & Analyses
In an abstract sequence, the narrator walks through a snowstorm. She slices off and eats pieces of her own flesh but is still hungry. The storm worsens, and she finds tern and char eggs to eat. They restore her life force. She finds herself on an ice floe in the middle of the water. The floe breaks apart, plunging her into the water. As she sinks, the pieces of ice become miniature polar bears. One grows to full size and swims beside her. His body warms the water and the narrator rides on his back. She and the polar bear fuse into one being.
An untitled poem describes spending time with a lover.
At school, Best Boy invites the narrator and another boy, Yellow Pants, to his house. Best Boy’s girlfriend, Alpha, is unhappy about the narrator’s presence. Best Boy’s house is dilapidated and cold, and the cupboards are almost empty. They eat biscuits and lard for dinner and take turns getting high on various substances, including rubber cement and nail polish. The narrator and Best Boy kiss.
The poem “That Time” describes a girl who was once the narrator’s friend and lover. They protect each other and have many adventures, until the friend moves south and has children.
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