Penitence

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, child death, pregnancy termination, illness, and mental illness. 

It is 2001. Angie’s father, Roberto, dies in August. She returns to New York. She and Julian struggle to re-establish a routine. She dislikes the city more than she used to, and she seems distant to Julian. He is sure that something is wrong, in addition to the loss of her father, but he cannot put his finger on it. 

On September 11, David leaves for work but is interrupted: Two commercial planes have flown into the Twin Towers. All of Lower Manhattan must be evacuated. On his way home, he stops at a bar. Hours later, after talking with her mother and David, Angie finds him there.

In the days and weeks that follow, the two remain glued to the news, but Angie also has time to reflect. Julian is obsessed with righting the wrongs of the world and fixing the broken justice system. He thinks that the art world is pretentious. She is not sure she wants to remain in the art world, and she knows she wants to leave New York. She begins preparing to leave both the city and Julian.