Her Body and Other Parties

The protagonist has just come home from the hospital. It becomes clear to the reader that she is recovering from a traumatic incident. Her boyfriend, Paul, consistently comes to check on her. She does not want him to touch her. The protagonist is aware that she has strange episodes during her sleep; however, she cannot remember how she acts.

Paul and the protagonist try to rekindle their love life with pornography, but it does not work. However, the protagonist begins watching porn on her own and acquires the ability to hear the thoughts of the porn artists during filming. Paul suggests that that they attend a housewarming party together. The protagonist grudgingly agrees. When they arrive at the party, the protagonist is unnerved by an eccentric guest in the corner who films the party with an old camcorder. The protagonist gets drunk to cope with her social anxiety. She explains, “The questions come at me like doors thrown open” (229). After she has had a few drinks, the protagonist steals the camcorder. She sets it up at home in order to watch what she does at night. When she plays back the tape, she sees that she has been thrashing in her sleep and that Paul is unable to soothe her.

The protagonist knows that Paul stays with her out of loyalty, even though he would like to leave. She initiates sex with him. She tapes the encounter and listens to the recording in order to hear her and Paul’s thoughts.