Holding Up The Universe

The novel moves forward in timein the section “One Week Later.” Jack has just turned eighteen, so he and Libby set out for Bloomington. Jack continues to find Libby more attractive, thinking that she defies the “sameness” (290) that makes most people difficult for him to recognize. Likewise, Libby’s feelings for Jack deepen, and they share a “moment” (296) when they dance and sing to Jack’s car radio.

At the University of Indiana, Dr. Klein gives Jack a series of tests to determine the extent of his prosopagnosia. She concludes that he has extreme face-blindness possibly caused by his falling off his roof when he was 6, and while she explains there is no cure, there are certain strategies that Jack can use to better recognize people. Meanwhile, Libby decides not to get tested for the hereditary aneurysm. She realizes that “even if there aren’t any aneurisms” in her brain, she will still be “someone who is prepared and on the lookout, because at any moment the earth could stop spinning” (306-07). Libby decides that knowing will not improve the quality of her life.  

The ride back to Amos is quiet, at least until Jack confides in Libby that his father is having an affair with

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