A to B
This chapter details the life of Bennie Salazar, his wife Stephanie, and their son Chris. The family, living at this point in Crandale, New Jersey, struggles with fitting into the way of life of the community. Bennie exhibits a desire to blend with these conservative, upper class families in a way that he was never able to fit into the community he grew up in due to his hispanic heritage. Stephanie thrives in the communities social circle through her connection with Kathy, one of the Crandale wives. The two women play doubles tennis at the country club together, an association that irks Bennie so Stephanie begins to keep their games a secret from him. In the second part of the chapter, Stephanie’s brother Jules, comes to stay with them in Crandale after being released from jail. Jules, a former aspiring reporter, convicted of the attempted rape of movie star Kitty Jackson, insists on going with Stephanie to an interview with forgotten rockstar, Bosco in New York City. Bosco pitches an idea for a final worldwide tour that will have the possibility of killing the extremely out of shape star. Jules, who is eager to get back into the world of reporting, gains all access to Bosco’s journey on the tour. Upon returning to their home from the meeting, Stephanie discovers a gold bobby pin in her room with Bennie’s things. She immediately recognizes it as Kathy’s as knows that Bennie has had an affair with her.
Analysis
The passage of time is important to this chapter because it highlights the impact that experiences have on one’s status in life. By starting out at “point A,” one has no choice but to move forward. Stephanie does this by making connections in Crandale, Jules does this by snatching the media license to Bosco’s tour, and Bennie, who is initially stuck in a version of his previous self, eventually moves to “point B” when he cheats on his wife. These actions all have consequences yet it is these consequences that make it possible for each character to start the next period of their life.
This chapter details the life of Bennie Salazar, his wife Stephanie, and their son Chris. The family, living at this point in Crandale, New Jersey, struggles with fitting into the way of life of the community. Bennie exhibits a desire to blend with these conservative, upper class families in a way that he was never able to fit into the community he grew up in due to his hispanic heritage. Stephanie thrives in the communities social circle through her connection with Kathy, one of the Crandale wives. The two women play doubles tennis at the country club together, an association that irks Bennie so Stephanie begins to keep their games a secret from him. In the second part of the chapter, Stephanie’s brother Jules, comes to stay with them in Crandale after being released from jail. Jules, a former aspiring reporter, convicted of the attempted rape of movie star Kitty Jackson, insists on going with Stephanie to an interview with forgotten rockstar, Bosco in New York City. Bosco pitches an idea for a final worldwide tour that will have the possibility of killing the extremely out of shape star. Jules, who is eager to get back into the world of reporting, gains all access to Bosco’s journey on the tour. Upon returning to their home from the meeting, Stephanie discovers a gold bobby pin in her room with Bennie’s things. She immediately recognizes it as Kathy’s as knows that Bennie has had an affair with her.
Analysis
The passage of time is important to this chapter because it highlights the impact that experiences have on one’s status in life. By starting out at “point A,” one has no choice but to move forward. Stephanie does this by making connections in Crandale, Jules does this by snatching the media license to Bosco’s tour, and Bennie, who is initially stuck in a version of his previous self, eventually moves to “point B” when he cheats on his wife. These actions all have consequences yet it is these consequences that make it possible for each character to start the next period of their life.