Audition

Several months later, the narrator has dinner with Tomas and Xavier at the same restaurant where she met Xavier at the beginning of the novel. They are celebrating the success of the play, now titled Rivers, which has repeatedly sold out shows and extended its run. Much of the success is attributed to the strength of the narrator’s performance. The narrator similarly feels that her part is the deepest role she’s ever played, and her approach makes for a dynamic performance in every show. She now regularly looks forward to performing the scene that she previously doubted, as it is the only time she ever feels a sense of alignment between her private self and her performed self. Meanwhile, Anne, Xavier, and Max have begun to prepare for their next projects, but the narrator is wholly committed to Rivers until it ends its run.

Xavier is also taking on a more creative role in Anne’s next project. The narrator misses him because his presence helped her to get her performance under control during the final days of rehearsal. During that time, she became emotionally dependent on Xavier, who supported her through the opening of the show.