What a lot has happened since we left off with our last entry! We watched Joe barely escape death at his army station in the  Antarctic,  only to find himself trapped with the half-crazed Shannenhouse and news that the Germans had landed close to 10 miles to their base. Then there’s the perilous flight which terminates, just as Shannenhouse’s appendix does, in a burst (of snow), and Joe still manages to scramble out alive. Confronted by the young German geologist, there’s a tragic struggle. We see this brief chapter in the life of Joe Kavalier through the eyes of the other, the German, which was an interesting change of style. As the life dies out of the German, the narration seemlessly transitions back to Joe’s point of view. Stylistically speaking, it was beautifully done.

Then, Joe comes home, and we depart from him for a bit to catch up with Sammy, Tommy, and Rosa. We see Sammy, awkwardly struggling to fulfill the role of father, and his wife, Rosa, making a name for herself in the comic business by honing her meticulous precision and drawing skills, and Tommy, clever and more like his real father than he knows. Finally, after meeting with Tommy in secret and the Escapist stunt, all three are reunited. The reunion was well done: it wasn’t overly emotional or sentimental, but it felt good to witness the familiarity between Rosa and Joe, especially after all that Joe (and, no doubt, Rosa) has been through. The companionship between all four of them is still there.

But questions arise: where is Rosa going the day she meets Tommy in the train as he’s off to visit Joe? Rosa’s wearing a perfume that Tommy knows she hasn’t worn in forever, and rather than blowing up at him, hugs him and thanks him, perhaps for stopping her from doing something she would later regret (an affair?).

Why does Joe jump? Does he go through with the stunt as a favor to Tommy? Is he so utterly confused and forlorn about what to do with what he cannot fix that he no longer cares?

What does it mean that the Golem comes back into the story? (Recall that in Joe’s little closet, Sammy and Tommy found numerous drawings of the Golem.)

How will it end? Tune in next week, faithful reader, for the final installment of our epic adventure as we come to the final act (presumably) of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

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