The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

On Monday, May 27, Archie invites Nina to lunch to meet their sister, Millie. Millie, who is 10, describes being close with her father. She loves books but has a hard time connecting with children her own age. Nina invites Millie to the elementary book club and impulsively suggests the possibility of spending time together on Thursdays.

On Saturday, June 1, Nina invites Tom to meet her at the Larchmont Spring Festival. She also brings Polly. They run into Millie and her mother, Eliza. Liz is hiding from Mr. Meffo, the landlord, and reveals that she has not paid the rent for the bookshop in six months. Liz admits that the store is struggling. Peter joins them, and Nina starts to feel overwhelmed. She faints, and Tom catches her.

Tom takes Nina to her apartment. She asks Tom for time alone, saying that she needs a few days to sort things out, and he leaves. Nina calls Louise and admits that solitude is no longer the coping mechanism that it once was for her anxiety. Louise reminds Nina that anxiety is essentially a defense mechanism that “helps us know when things are wrong […] It’s just sometimes it gets ahead of itself” (266).