Not in the least. As quickly becomes apparent, he is less interested in this initial tragedy than in the long shadow it casts over Penny's life. When the story resumes, seven years have passed, and Penny is now a graduate student in Chicago, wrestling with an unfinished dissertation on Samuel Beckett. Yet the trauma of David's death has failed to loosen its grip on her. Clearly some ice-breaking maneuver is called for.
Penny comes up with a doozy.
She will ride a bicycle from Chicago to Glacier Bay, Alaska, where David's accident took place. Penny narrates the story of her journey with considerable panache, providing a singularly witty and artful account of crossing the American landscape. Initially, at least, the continuous change of scenery seems to be rejuvenating her in just the way she had anticipated. When a minor accident puts her bicycle out of commission, a passing motorist offers Penny a ride to the next town. It may seem, from this description, that Penny is pedaling straight toward a happy ending.