TBJ 1

• Explain the first line of the novel. What does it show about Esther and her experience in New York.

Judging by the first line in the novel, it seems that Esther doesn’t know what she is doing in New York, the Rosenbergs were electrocuted, and she’s in a “queer sultry summer”. So far her experience in New York hasn’t been pleasant, she seems to feel out of place. She also talks about the Rosenbergs and how she keeps seeing their faces, which also tells us about the era Esther is living in. This is the time of the cold war, and high tensions for communism. The weather was also incredibly hot in the city, which frustrated her.