And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer And Longer

The novella opens with an elderly man waking in fear in what is revealed to be a hospital room. He is reassured by his grandson, Noah.

The narrative shifts to a shared imagined space, where the two sit on a bench in a circular square. Noah is described as being at an age where he understands how the world works but has not yet accepted its limitations. Grandpa is portrayed as so old that expectations of adulthood no longer apply to him.

The bench and square are part of a recurring game between the two, in which Noah closes his eyes and his grandfather takes him to unfamiliar places. These journeys often involve travel, navigation, and problem-solving, with the grandfather trusting Noah’s ability to find their way home using maps, compasses, and mathematics. In this instance, however, the grandfather notes that “the square got smaller overnight again” (3).

Objects in the square reflect elements from Grandpa’s life, including a desk resembling the one from his office, as well as scattered keys and shards of glass. Grandpa is unable to remember the purpose of the keys. Beneath the bench, hyacinths are blooming, which Noah associates with his grandmother. The square is also populated by animals from Noah’s childhood, including toys his grandfather once gave him.

People move through the square, but their forms are indistinct, and Grandpa struggles to recognize them. When Noah asks how they will find their way home without the usual tools, Grandpa admits that maps and counting will not help them. When Noah asks where they are, Grandpa becomes overwhelmed and begins to cry silently, acknowledging that it is difficult to explain their situation.

The narrative shifts to Grandpa walking with a girl who smells of hyacinths, revealed to be his late wife. He remembers falling in love with her and notes that this is the last memory to leave him. He expresses regret that he did not have enough time with her while she responds that she spent her entire life with him. He insists that it was still not long enough.

They walk along a road that feels familiar though Grandpa cannot recall where it leads. Both are described as young—“sixteen again, no shaking fingers, no aching hearts” (9). Grandpa tells her that he does not know how to explain his cognitive decline to Noah and repeats that the square has grown smaller. She notices that he is bleeding and tells him to be careful when getting into the boat. When he again asks how to explain his condition to Noah, she advises him to explain it “as though he was smarter than you” (10).

Noah senses that Grandpa feels ashamed. Grandpa clarifies that he is struggling to understand what’s happening. Noah notices that his grandfather is bleeding, and Grandpa realizes he must have fallen. Noah recalls that his grandfather fell while they were in the boat and that Noah called out for his Dad for help. Noah reassures him that Dad will come for them, though Grandpa remains confused.

To help calm him, Noah recalls a camping trip during which he wet his sleeping bag out of fear. Grandpa had reassured him by saying that the smell would help keep bears away and that “There’s nothing wrong with being a little scared” (13). Grandpa remembers the moment and asks Noah about school. Noah says he is doing well, especially in mathematics, and again reassures him that his father will come.

When the grandfather says, “Mathematics will always lead you home” (13), Noah becomes frightened but tries not to show it. He begins reciting the digits of pi, alternating with his grandfather, who enjoys the exercise. Grandpa then tells Noah a familiar joke about breaking his arm, but Noah already knows it, Grandpa is ashamed that he did not remember this.

As Noah looks around the circular square, he asks where they are. Grandpa explains that they are inside his brain, which is continuing to shrink.

Ted (Noah’s dad) and his father (Grandpa) are in a garden that smells of hyacinths. Grandpa asks Ted about school. Ted is doing well in language studies but dislikes math, noting that “they’ve never seen eye to eye, his dad and him” (17). Grandpa bends down to weed, and when he stands up it is suddenly dark, which confuses him. He begins reciting the digits of pi, insisting it is their favorite game, but Ted disagrees. Grandpa stops when Ted notices that he is bleeding. Grandpa brushes it off and attempts to tell a joke about breaking his arm, but Ted again points out the bleeding.

When Ted takes Grandpa’s hands, Grandpa becomes confused by their size and begins asking for his son, Ted. Ted tries to calm him, but Grandpa repeatedly asks about school. Ted explains that he no longer attends school and tells Grandpa that he is not supposed to be going into the boat.

Grandpa realizes that they are not in the garden but in a hospital room. He tries to comfort Ted by recalling a camping trip in which a child wet himself, but Ted corrects him, saying it was Noah, not Ted. Ted tells Grandpa that he never had time to teach him those things, saying, “You were always working” (22). Distressed, Grandpa again asks Ted about school.