Circe

by Madeline Miller

There were no grubs or worms, though I didn’t know to miss them.

But in a solitary life, there are rare moments when another soul dips near yours, as stars once a year brush the earth. Such a constellation was he to me.

‘Your wife sounds like a clever woman.’ ‘She is. I cannot account for the fact that she married me, but since it is to my benefit, I try not to bring it to her attention.’