Another Country: Book 3, Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

Vivaldo has strange and troubling nightmares. He dreams something or someone he does not understand is pursuing him. When he wakes up, he finds himself in Eric’s bed. Eric is kissing his neck, and Vivaldo tries to recall how he ended up in this situation. Eric’s advances compel Vivaldo to have sex with him. It is an experience he very much enjoys, and afterwards he feels like he has a new perspective on himself and his sexual interests.

After sex, Vivaldo realizes he is in love with Eric. He wonders whether there could possibly be a future between them, given their current relationships with other people. Vivaldo and Eric have a brief discussion about their feelings for each other. Both seem to love the other, though there is some hesitancy on each end.

Before their conversation can go too far, the telephone rings. Eric answers it to find Cass on the other end. Cass fills him in on what happened between her and Richard the night before. After hanging up the telephone, Eric explains to Vivaldo what happened and then starts getting ready so he can go meet Cass. Before Eric leaves, he and Vivaldo have breakfast together and again try to make sense of their situation. When Vivaldo brings up Ida, Eric gets a strange look in his eye but does not say anything.

During breakfast, Eric’s agent calls and tells him that he has booked a big audition for him. As Eric hangs up the phone, he is happy that at least one part of his life is not a mess. He tells Vivaldo the good news and the two men toast to his success. After breakfast, Eric leaves to go meet Cass and figure out what to do next.

Meanwhile, Vivaldo waits around in Eric’s apartment, thinking about his recent experience and wondering if he should call Ida. He knows she will likely be concerned because she has not heard from him. Before he gets the chance, Ida calls Vivaldo at Eric’s apartment, demanding to know where he has been. Vivaldo explains that he and Eric got drunk and passed out.

Ida asks Vivaldo if he has heard from Cass. Vivaldo tells her what he knows. After, Ida warns Vivaldo that Richard is mad at him because he feels betrayed. Vivaldo finds Richard’s anger annoying. He thinks of Eric and Cass as his friends, whereas Richard is a mere acquaintance. Ida reminds him that, regardless of how he feels, Richard sees the situation differently. Because Vivaldo knew Richard before Eric—and because Eric was gone for so long—Richard expects Vivaldo to side with him. Nonetheless, Vivaldo does not feel as if he has done anything wrong.

Ida recommends that Vivaldo return to their apartment. She does not think Richard will show up there because she told him that Vivaldo was away visiting family. Vivaldo agrees and then hangs up the phone. Before he can leave Eric’s apartment, a courier delivers a telegram for Eric from Yves. The telegram inspires Vivaldo to write his own note for Eric, thanking him for a good time. After he finishes the note, Vivaldo leaves and makes his way back to his own apartment.

Meanwhile, Eric and Cass meet inside a museum where they do not think Richard will come looking for them. Cass recaps her explosive argument with Richard. Apparently, Richard is now threatening divorce and wants to have Paul and Michael taken away from her. Cass does not think Richard is serious—at least regarding the kids. However, she knows Richard wants to hurt her in the same way she hurt him, which is frightening.

As Cass talks, Eric begins to feel bad. He realizes that he was never in love with Cass. Rather, he only had an affair with her “to find out something about himself.” He does not like that he used Cass so selfishly, even if he did not realize what he was doing until after the fact. As Eric comes to terms with what he has done, Cass contemplates the future. She hopes that she and Richard can stay together for the kids and make things work. However, she sees the world as a difficult place that is isolating and harsh. She wonders whether she will be able to withstand it. Ultimately, she knows that she will have to try no matter what—that is all she can do.

On the other side of town, Vivaldo makes it back to his apartment to find Ida cooking breakfast. Although he is happy to see her, he notices there is something off about her demeanor. He can tell she is sad, though he does not know why. After talking with Ida for a moment, Vivaldo realizes there is something she is not telling him. He asks her what is bothering her.

Ida says she has been thinking about Rufus’s death and the terrible impact it has had on her life. She remembers how bright and sweet Rufus was as a child, and she watched him grow hard because the world treated him so cruelly. She is worried that the world will do something similar to her, and she does not want to end up like Rufus did.

Ida explains that the reason she has trouble fully committing herself to Vivaldo is largely due to her pent up rage toward white people. She does not hate white people all of the time. However, when Ida sees something that reminds her of the circumstances that led to her brother’s death, she cannot help but express her rage. She feels that this is something Vivaldo will never fully grasp, no matter how hard he tries.

At this point, Ida admits to Vivaldo that she has been sleeping with Ellis to help her career. She sees her affair with Ellis as a kind of revenge against the types of people who took her brother’s life. Ida believes that white men tend to treat black women like sex workers, so she decided to act the part as a form of revenge and a way to get ahead in the world. Although Ida found her revenge somewhat satisfying at first, she feels bad that Vivaldo got tangled up in it. She tells him that he is not the type of person she wanted to hurt. Indeed, she cares very much for Vivaldo and is sad that their relationship cannot work out.

Furthermore, Ida tells Vivaldo that she ended her affair with Ellis the previous night. While performing at the bar, her fellow musicians shamed her for having sex with Ellis. Following her performance, Ida went home with Ellis and slept with him one final time. In doing so, she realized that she had not achieved revenge at all; rather, she had become yet another victim of the same system that took Rufus’s life.

After Ida finishes her story, she breaks down crying. Vivaldo does his best to comfort her, though he is having a hard time processing everything she just told him. A few minutes later, Ida gets up and goes to the bathroom while Vivaldo fixes her some coffee. He still does not know how to feel about what Ida just told him. However, on the bright side, he finally thinks he has some valuable insight that he can use for his novel.

While Vivaldo is lost in thought, the phone rings. Vivaldo picks it up and hears Eric’s voice. Eric says that Cass plans to go and see her family in New England for a little while, so the situation has time to cool down. At the moment, he still does not know Richard’s location, though he suspects he is out somewhere with Ellis.

Vivaldo asks Eric if Cass told him about Ida and Ellis’s affair during their morning phone call. Eric admits that she did and apologizes for not telling Vivaldo. He thought the timing would be inappropriate. Vivaldo understands and tells Eric not to worry and that they are still friends. Eric appreciates the sentiment and invites Vivaldo and Ida over to his place so they can meet Yves when he arrives. Vivaldo tells Eric that he still has a lot to sort out, but he is excited to meet Yves.

After his phone call with Eric, Vivaldo returns to the kitchen to sit with Ida. Ida tells Vivaldo she loves him, though Vivaldo has a hard time saying the same thing back to her. Instead, he says that he is grateful to Ida for telling him the truth. Then, Vivaldo and Ida hug, though there is nothing romantic in their embrace. Later in the day, Ida sleeps while Vivaldo spends time working on his novel.