All the Broken Places

In 1946, Toussaint wants to take Gretel and her mother boating along the Seine—the river that cuts through Paris. Gretel’s mother doesn’t know Toussaint and Gretel have already met, as he didn’t mention it. Gretel doesn’t want to go, but her mother insists. She hopes Toussaint asks her to marry him.

Nathalie admits to mistakes in her past marriage with Gretel’s father, and Gretel wonders if Nathalie and Lieutenant Kotler (Kurt) had an affair. Nathalie dismisses Kurt as “just a boy” and reaffirms her love for Gretel’s father. Nathalie claims she didn’t want Gretel’s father to take the job at the “other place,” but Gretel remembers Nathalie’s excitement. Nathalie says she had to look enthusiastic.

Gretel almost says her brother’s name, but her mother stops her. Nathalie is scared. They have some money, but it won’t last. Toussaint could take care of them. Gretel claims they can take care of themselves, but Nathalie disagrees. She wants Gretel to marry, but not Émile, who she considers “lowly.”

Gretel wonders what her mother has told Toussiant about their past. Her mother mentions the story they’ve created. Gretel calls it “fiction,” but Nathalie says made-up stories can become true with

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