Anxious People

The narrative flashes back to the hostage scene. Estelle is in the closet thinking about her late husband, Knut. She considers that he’s on a great adventure, but she’s stuck in the “beautiful prison” (248) of life. Estelle talks to Anna-Lena and Julia about how amazing her marriage was with Knut, while Anna-Lena admits that she was a “Senior analyst” (251) before she retired. This surprises Julia because she previously thought of her as a woman defined by being submissive to her husband.

The story flashes back to Jim taking the pizzas up to the hostages.

Julia admits that her father was abusive but that her mother was a strong single woman. She also tells the women how she met and fell in love with Ro. Estelle admits that she once had an emotional affair with her neighbor who also loved books. He gave her a key to his apartment, seemingly hoping they would have a romantic affair, but it never happened. Then he died. The women hear a noise coming from above them in the closet.