Adultery Summary By Chapter | Paulo Coelho
Introduction
This Adultery Summary by Chapter follows Linda, a journalist in Geneva, who appears to have reached the pinnacle of stability and success.
Yet behind her perfect facade, she is crumbling.
A chance encounter with a former high school boyfriend, Jacob König, now a prominent politician, ignites a reckless desire for passion and adventure.
As Linda embarks on a clandestine affair, she spirals into a world of jealousy, manipulation, and self-discovery.
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Book Structure Overview
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Chapters | 58 Chapters |
| Parts | None (Chronological sequence) |
| Prologue/Epilogue | None listed in contents |
| Supplementary Material | Reading Group Guide and About the Author |
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Adultery Summary Chapter by Chapter
⚠️ Spoiler Warning
Chapter 1: The Trap of Perfection
Linda introduces her life in Geneva, characterized by a wealthy husband, two children, and a stable career as a journalist.
Despite these blessings, she admits that every morning she feels like the day will be a disaster, burdened by a sense of apathy.
She traces this crisis back to an interview with a writer who claimed he preferred passion over happiness.
This comment makes her realize she takes no risks and is terrified by the boredom of her own routine.
Key Moment: Linda realizes that faking orgasms makes her feel like she is “dying a little inside”.
New Information: Linda is a highly regarded journalist living in the safest country in the world.
Chapter 2: The Monotony of the Neighbor
Watching her neighbor wash his car, Linda reflects on the “irrelevant things” people do to pass the time as they age.
She contemplates her own future, imagining herself and her husband performing similarly hollow tasks once their children have grown.
Her commute on the bus allows her to observe Geneva’s lack of modernization, which she typically finds charming but now finds suffocating.
She takes pride in Swiss neutrality and the country’s reserved nature, yet she feels isolated in her own lack of happiness.
Key Moment: Linda identifies her state of “compulsive sadness” as a sign of mental illness.
New Information: Linda believes that many illnesses are the result of repressed emotions.
Chapter 3: The Trap of Depression
Linda has lunch at a hidden Japanese restaurant with a friend who is currently on antidepressants.
She avoids discussing her own mental state but asks her friend about the symptoms and “hell” of depression.
The friend describes it as being caught in a trap where even the simplest tasks feel Herculean.
Linda recognizes herself in the description of “apathy” and the act of pretending to be happy or alive.
Key Moment: Linda’s friend defines depression as a state of “pretending” that eventually leads to a red line with no turning back.
New Information: Linda’s high school ex‑boyfriend, Jacob, is now a prominent politician.
Chapter 4: The Politician and the Past
Linda prepares for her day with a wide, fake smile, feeling like an animal caught in a trap.
She notices her neighbor washing his car for the second day in a row and confronts him about his search for meaning in life.
She goes to interview Jacob, finding him focused entirely on his own career and the upcoming elections.
While he discusses mundane political issues like taxes and crime, Linda finds herself staring at the past and her lost adolescent self.
Key Moment: Jacob locks the office door and kisses Linda, breaking her routine and making her feel “happy” for the first time in months.
New Information: Jacob and Linda were once romantic partners who exchanged kisses when they were teenagers.
Chapter 5: The Act of Adultery
After Jacob kisses her, Linda impulsively kneels and gives him oral sex, an act that gives her more mental pleasure than physical satisfaction.
She immediately buys a toothbrush and toothpaste, fearing the smell or stains will give her away.
Despite the risk, she feels no guilt, only a terror of being caught and a sudden surge of physical desire.
When she returns home, she maintains her routine, but her husband and children notice she is “acting funny”.
Key Moment: Linda realizes she has broken the rules and the world hasn’t caved in, giving her a sense of freedom.
New Information: Linda’s husband begins to question why she goes to yoga, suspecting she might be wasting her time.
Chapter 6: The Return of Saturn
Linda meets Jacob for lunch at an expensive restaurant by the lake, where he tries to impress her with his knowledge of wine.
She finds his sophisticated act nonsense, recalling how she once preferred “nerds” who were more authentic.
Jacob confesses that he feels like an “automaton” in his career, constantly scrutinized and unhappily married.
He introduces the concept of the “Return of Saturn,” explaining that at age twenty‑nine, life’s choices become definitive and dreams are limited.
Key Moment: Jacob identifies the sadness in Linda’s eyes, causing her to fall in love with him again.
New Information: Jacob believes his unhappiness is linked to the astronomical cycle of Saturn.
Chapter 7: The Burden of Sincerity
After lunch, Jacob reveals more about his past, admitting he only entered politics to help people but now feels trapped by the need to please his wife, Marianne.
Linda’s mind races with fantasies of them together in a secret chalet in the Alps.
When they part, she feels the thrill of fear replacing her previous apathy.
Back at work, she views her job as a journalist as increasingly boring and restrictive.
Key Moment: Linda’s boss instructs her to use “the usual tactics” to manipulate Jacob into a confession.
New Information: There are rumors that Jacob is being blackmailed by a metallurgical company over an affair.
Chapter 8: The Armor of Light
Linda attends her yoga class, trying to meditate amidst the scent of incense and elevator music.
She struggles to “empty her mind” as the teacher suggests, finding emptiness to be the thing she fears most.
Instead of peace, her thoughts focus on Jacob and whether or not he is actually being blackmailed.
She questions the teacher’s concept of a “middle path” and “armor of light,” feeling these ideas are unnatural for her.
Key Moment: Linda’s “armor of light” is shattered by the realization that Jacob probably pursues every pretty woman he meets.
New Information: Linda has been skipping her yoga classes frequently because she finds the “middle path” unnatural.
Chapter 9: The Mask of Confidence
Waking in the middle of the night, Linda checks on her children and contemplates her marriage, where she and her husband are both controlling their unhappiness.
She realizes that after a certain age, people wear masks of certainty that eventually become stuck to their faces.
She meets Jacob again in a park, where she chooses a more private setting so he can smoke and they can talk.
She asks him directly about the blackmail, and he admits to an affair that his wife, Marianne, supposedly knows about and tolerates.
Key Moment: Jacob admits to his affair and claims his wife supports an “open marriage”.
New Information: Jacob’s blackmailers are Nigerians from the metallurgical company.
Chapter 10: The Suicidal Kiss
Linda’s professional mission to catch Jacob in a scandal fails because he has already handled the blackmail with the authorities.
Jacob asks if she is sexually interested in him, acknowledging the oral sex in his office but seeking a deeper reason for their meetings.
He confesses he recognizes himself in her and that his wife discourages him from seeking psychiatric help to protect his career.
Linda initially tries to act as a counselor, suggesting he seek medical help and look for joy in simple things like sailing.
Key Moment: Linda kisses Jacob in the park, reclaiming a sense of control and euphoria.
New Information: Jacob’s wife, Marianne, believes that seeking medical help for depression would ruin his political career.
Chapter 11: Breaking the Walls
Returning home, Linda feels a temporary sense of recovery and control, though no one asks her how she is.
She reflects on the transitions of her life, including turning thirty, and decides that she is just in a “phase”.
She drinks wine in her garden, thinking about the kiss and feeling no regrets for breaking her own rules.
She prepares for a party with her husband, wearing her best dress and feeling a need to celebrate her new sense of self.
Key Moment: Linda decides she cannot spend her life trying to please other people and must focus on herself.
New Information: The wind in Geneva, known as the mistral, can blow for three, six, or nine days and affects Linda’s sleep.
Chapter 12: The Swap and the Scandal
Linda suggests a role swap with her husband, where she gets the children ready for school and he makes breakfast.
She checks her to‑do list but realizes her main priority is finding Jacob’s home address.
At breakfast, she sees a front‑page photo of Jacob with the headline “Deputy Reports Blackmail Attempt,” which deeply troubles her.
She realizes she didn’t write the article because her editor‑in‑chief took over the case after a government communiqué.
Key Moment: Linda sees Jacob’s face on the front page of the newspaper and feels a deep connection to him.
New Information: Linda uses the government’s digital archives to find Jacob’s personal address and details about his wife’s job.
Chapter 13: The Confession at Dinner
Linda and her husband dine at a familiar restaurant, where the ritual of eating out feels like a hollow obligation.
They discuss mundane news items, but Linda eventually interrupts to confess her months of sadness and night terrors.
She tells him she cries in the shower and feels she is wasting her life, despite loving him and their children.
Her husband is shocked, having not noticed her weight loss or irritability, but he responds with kindness and suggests she see a doctor.
Key Moment: Linda confesses her depression and existential dread to her husband during dinner.
New Information: Linda’s husband admits he never noticed her inner struggle and offers his full support.
Chapter 14: The Nightmare of Jacob
Despite her talk with her husband, Jacob König continues to haunt Linda’s dreams and nightmares.
She tries to command him to leave her alone, noting that she is happily married and has a difficult day ahead.
However, her obsession grows, and she finds herself Googling “depression” in the middle of the night.
An online questionnaire tells her she isn’t clinically depressed, which she uses as an excuse to believe she is just making her life more “interesting” with problems.
Key Moment: Linda realizes she is replacing her missing joy with an obsession over a man she barely knows.
New Information: Jacob is expected to be reelected to the Council of States.
Chapter 15: Running to the Horizon
In Nyon, Linda’s husband encourages her to run around the lake with him to boost her spirits with endorphins.
She struggles to keep up, but he pushes her to continue as a metaphor for not giving up on life.
As they run, they pass campaign billboards featuring Jacob’s smiling face, which causes Linda to speed up in a panic.
She begins to feel that her children and husband are barriers to her freedom, a thought she finds “mad”.
Key Moment: Linda experiences a moment of resentment toward her family, wishing she were a “free woman”.
New Information: Jacob is successfully reelected, coming in third in the vote count.
Chapter 16: Confronting Madame König
At the election victory party, Linda is approached by Jacob’s wife, Marianne, who is elegant and formidable.
Marianne claims Jacob has told her a lot about Linda, though she remains vague about the details.
Linda tries to provoke her by mentioning Jacob’s affair, but Marianne remains cool, claiming she favors “open relationships” when there is no love involved.
Marianne reveals that she was the one who leaked the blackmail story to the newspaper to improve Jacob’s reputation.
Key Moment: Marianne König admits to manipulating the press and warns Linda that she sees her as a “fragile” threat.
New Information: Marianne leaked Jacob’s affair to the press as a strategic political move.
Chapter 17: The Goal of Revenge
Following her encounter with Marianne, Linda becomes obsessed with contacting Jacob, eventually tricking him into answering his phone.
She lies to him, claiming someone photographed them in the park and is blackmailing her.
She threatens to ruin his political career unless they meet again.
Linda realizes her primary motivation is no longer love, but a desire to destroy Marianne and achieve a goal.
Key Moment: Linda decides her “salvation” lies in the challenge of winning Jacob’s heart and destroying Marianne.
New Information: Marianne is an expert on “vulnerability and psychosis” and has a career in academia.
Chapter 18: The Tactics of a Tiger
Linda begins to sleep better as she focuses on her new goal of winning Jacob.
She reflects on her “psychological nearsightedness” and the false sense of security provided by her group and family.
To maintain her mental health, she creates a list of “therapies,” including cooking, smiling through tears, and taking two showers a day.
She considers herself a “cornered tiger” whose only option is to attack.
Key Moment: Linda sets a date to meet Jacob at the Golf Club de Genève, viewing the event as “romantic”.
New Information: Linda uses her husband’s prescription for Valium to help her sleep before her meeting with Jacob.
Chapter 19: Melancholy at the Golf Club
Arriving early at the golf club, Linda walks through the autumn landscape, reflecting on the “melancholy” of the season.
She feels reborn and ready to surrender to passion, abandoning her cynicism for a “tunnel of light”.
When Jacob arrives, she leads him to the terrace and speaks at length about nature, faith, and the “duality of existence”.
Jacob, however, is solely focused on the “photo” Linda mentioned and asks her about it cautiously.
Key Moment: Jacob rejects Linda’s romantic overtures and suggests she seek professional help for her marriage.
New Information: Jacob is more concerned with the alleged blackmail photo than with Linda’s emotional state.
Chapter 20: The Monster and the Creator
Linda drives aimlessly after Jacob’s rejection and ends up at a castle associated with Lord Byron and Mary Shelley.
She reflects on the story of Frankenstein, identifying herself as both the creator, Victor, and the monster.
She realizes she tried to “breathe life into something inanimate” and only succeeded in creating terror.
She feels like a “loser” and sits in the garden until night falls, unable to move.
Key Moment: Linda identifies with the tragedy of Frankenstein and resolves to continue her pursuit of Jacob through “justice”.
New Information: Linda believes that God would not allow her to fall in love if it weren’t possible for it to be requited.
Chapter 21: The Transaction for Revenge
Determined to frame Marianne, Linda seeks out a drug dealer in a pedestrian underpass.
She is a novice and the dealer quickly realizes she is looking for advice as much as narcotics.
She invents a story about a cheating husband to gain the dealer’s sympathy, and he acts as a “marriage counselor” and “financial adviser”.
He advises her that she needs at least thirty grams of cocaine to ensure Marianne is framed as a dealer rather than a mere user.
Key Moment: Linda buys 5,000 francs’ worth of cocaine to plant on Marianne.
New Information: Linda’s husband has been consulting a marriage counselor to help her with her “depression”.
Chapter 22: The Plan for Infiltration
Linda creates a fake email account and begins sending Jacob daily messages of “love and encouragement”.
She intends for these messages to either win him over or be discovered by Marianne as evidence of his infidelity.
She researches how to enter the university campus where Marianne teaches and decides where to plant the cocaine.
Despite her plans, she feels like a “virus” has infected her life, slowly destroying her files and memories.
Key Moment: Linda realizes that her hatred for Marianne is the only thing currently giving her life meaning.
New Information: Marianne teaches philosophy at an annex located on the University Hospital of Geneva campus.
Chapter 23: The Failure of the Desk
Linda makes her way to Marianne’s office, recalling how she once tortured a boyfriend’s poodle out of jealousy.
She acknowledges that everyone has a “dark side” and that she is currently being driven by her own monster.
When she enters the classroom, she is shocked to find that Marianne’s desk is a cheap wooden table with no drawers.
Her plan to hide the cocaine is foiled, leaving her feeling both frustrated and relieved.
Key Moment: Linda’s plan to plant drugs fails because Marianne’s desk has no drawers.
New Information: Linda once physically abused an animal out of a desire for her boyfriend’s undivided attention.
Chapter 24: The Duality of Jekyll and Hyde
Linda discusses the concept of the “monster inside” with her husband, who cites the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
He explains that everyone coexists with their demonic side and that releasing it can lead to total destruction.
Linda reflects on her own “villainous” side that tried to incriminate an innocent person.
She realizes her husband sees her as “strong,” which is why he never shows his own weaknesses.
Key Moment: Linda seeks psychiatric help but finds the doctors’ advice and prescriptions useless.
New Information: Linda lies to the psychiatrists, claiming she wants to kill her husband, to avoid admitting her plot against Marianne.
Chapter 25: The Shaman of Geneva
Seeking an “exorcism,” Linda meets with a Cuban shaman in front of a monument to John Calvin.
She reflects on Calvin’s use of “terror” in Geneva and wonders if his atrocities were justified by love.
The shaman, who is suspicious of her, forces her to look into his eyes and threatens her with spiritual destruction if she reports him to the police.
Linda confesses her desire for revenge and her night terrors.
Key Moment: The shaman tells Linda to “go all the way” with her plans, even the bad ones, to find the light.
New Information: The shaman’s methods are illegal and not covered by national insurance.
Chapter 26: The Invitation for Coffee
Jacob sends Linda a message inviting her for coffee after weeks of silence.
Linda is initially resistant, feeling humiliated by his earlier rejection.
She listens to a recording of the shaman, who warned her that “forgetting” is the wrong approach and she must face things head‑on.
She eventually accepts the invitation and meets Jacob at a café on the French border.
Key Moment: Jacob admits he missed Linda and feels lonely, reigniting her hope for their relationship.
New Information: Jacob’s wife attributes his recent behavioral changes to political stress.
Chapter 27: The Room at the Hotel
Traffic in Geneva is at a standstill due to a “summit,” but Linda is desperate to reach her meeting with Jacob at a luxury hotel.
They have decided to act on their desires without further explanation or vows of love.
In the hotel room, Linda feels like a teenager again, but also experiences a loss of “morals” and a sense of being a “slut” or “whore”.
Jacob is forceful and uses a condom, which Linda finds inexperienced but allows.
Key Moment: Linda and Jacob consummate their affair in a luxury hotel, but the experience is marked by pain and a lack of respect.
New Information: Jacob is experienced in infidelity and knows how to “eliminate odors” to avoid detection.
Chapter 28: The Dominatrix Fantasy
Reflecting on the hotel encounter, Linda realizes she was looking for romance while Jacob was driven by “hunter’s instinct”.
She views her adultery as a “spiritual crime” against her family but finds herself masturbating to the memory of being submissive and humiliated.
She discovers a new, wild side of herself that craves “masochism, group sex, and fetishes”.
In her mind, she creates a dominant fantasy where she ties Jacob up and forces him to serve her sexual desires.
Key Moment: Linda develops a sexual fantasy of being a “dominatrix” over Jacob, revealing her internal shift toward power.
New Information: Linda has started having two orgasms a night through masturbation while her husband sleeps.
Chapter 29: The Biology of Infidelity
Linda’s article about the shaman is a success, and she meets with him again to research the “female role” in spiritual quests.
The shaman explains that women are more sensitive to the “spiritual and emotional world,” which makes them prone to “bipolar” crises.
He discusses adultery as a combination of boredom and a lack of passion for life, often unrelated to the health of the primary relationship.
He reveals he was also once unfaithful and his wife left him for it.
Key Moment: The shaman justifies male infidelity as a biological imperative from “caveman times”.
New Information: Linda has not yet lived out her “dominatrix” fantasy but is meeting Jacob frequently.
Chapter 30: The Dragon of Monotony
As Christmas approaches, Linda feels the “dragon” of her malaise returning, despite her ongoing affair.
She has been meeting Jacob at the same hotel, becoming expert at removing all traces of her infidelity before returning home.
She notices her behavior changing in daily life, becoming more irritable and prone to debating controversial topics.
She fears her “reserved” persona is being replaced by a more “spontaneous and wild” side that people are starting to notice.
Key Moment: Linda realizes that love is an “art” that takes work and that her affair is only a temporary distraction.
New Information: Linda’s husband buys her a reproduction of a painting that symbolizes the need for trust in love.
Chapter 31: The Trap of the Bitch
Linda and her husband attend a TV station reception, where they run into Jacob and Marianne.
Linda is called to the stage by the host, Darius Rochebin, and gives an impromptu speech about human rights.
Afterward, Marianne insists that the two couples have dinner together at Hotel Les Armures.
At dinner, Marianne deliberately brings up the topic of “stupid jealousy,” forcing everyone into an uncomfortable conversation.
Key Moment: Marianne König uses a group dinner to make pointed insinuations about Linda and Jacob’s affair.
New Information: Marianne claims she and Jacob have an “open relationship” and that his infidelity arouses her.
Chapter 32: The Ruined Secret
The dinner ends in a tense standoff, and Linda flees with her husband, claiming they need to get back to the babysitter.
She is furious and takes two Valiums to fall asleep.
The next morning, Jacob sends her a text saying she “blew it” and that Marianne is now certain of their affair.
Linda drives to a supermarket but is so blinded by hatred and tears that she has to pull over and sob.
Key Moment: Jacob informs Linda that her outburst at dinner has confirmed Marianne’s suspicions.
New Information: Linda realizes she is “madly in love” with Jacob despite her previous denials.
Chapter 33: The Peace of the Fire
Linda returns home and prepares a quiet dinner, lighting the fireplace and opening a bottle of wine.
She intends to confess everything to her husband to end her “double life”.
However, her husband interrupts her attempts to speak, instead delivering a monologue about the “price of dreams” and his own battle with jealousy.
He tells her that he would “endure anything” to keep her by his side and that she is free to seek her happiness even if it means leaving him.
Key Moment: Linda’s husband tells her he would endure anything to stay with her, effectively offering her forgiveness without a formal confession.
New Information: Linda’s husband believes that love is like a “kaleidoscope” that is in constant movement.
Chapter 34: The Final Meeting with Jacob
A week later, Linda interviews a former millionaire to distract herself from her emotional turmoil.
She reflects on her “self‑destruction” and realizes the happiness she found with Jacob was as false as a drug high.
She calls Jacob’s office and insists on an urgent meeting, bypassing his secretary.
She goes to his office and, despite his fear of being caught, they have a final, violent encounter of “unconventional intercourse” on his leather sofa.
Key Moment: Linda ends her affair with Jacob and gives him the cocaine as a symbolic end to her “addiction”.
New Information: Jacob’s wife, Marianne, has become like a “robot,” more devoted to her work since discovering the affair.
Chapter 35: The Flight into Eternity
Linda and her husband return to Interlaken, the place of their early romance.
Her husband drinks heavily and expresses his own regrets about not living a more adventurous life, admitting he once dreamed of buying a boat and traveling the world.
He admits to feeling a “dark hole” and a dread of the future.
The next morning, Linda spots paragliders from their hotel window and, in a moment of impulse, suggests they go together.
Key Moment: Linda experiences a spiritual revelation and a sense of “Eternity” while paragliding.
New Information: Linda’s husband once dreamed of abandoning his stable life to travel the world on a boat.
Chapter 36: The Unexpected Invitation
Linda is surprised to receive a message from Jacob inviting her for coffee after weeks of silence and rejection.
She feels a mixture of irritation and temptation, as she had been trying to forget him and focus on her family.
She listens to a recording of the shaman, who advises facing things head‑on rather than trying to forget.
Despite her pledges to stop, she cannot control her impulses and sends a message accepting his invitation.
Key Moment: Linda accepts Jacob’s invitation to coffee after weeks of trying to move on.
New Information: Linda uses her interview recordings as a form of self‑therapy to analyze her own trauma.
Chapter 37: The Border Meeting
Linda meets Jacob at a simple café in a village on the French border, surrounded by truck drivers and workers.
Jacob confesses that his life has been a “living hell” since she reappeared and that he feels increasingly lonely despite his success.
Linda is moved by his vulnerability and realizes that her efforts to resist him have completely collapsed.
He admits that his wife thinks his moodiness is just related to the stress of the recent elections.
Key Moment: Jacob admits he is lonely and has missed Linda, reigniting her passion.
New Information: Jacob’s wife, Marianne, attributes his behavioral changes to election stress.
Chapter 38: The Clogged City
Geneva is paralyzed by a “summit,” causing traffic to stand still and disrupting Linda’s journey to meet Jacob at a luxury hotel.
She reflects on the hypocrisy of the city and the booming “infidelity market” that supports luxury hotels and private detectives.
She is desperate to reach her meeting, having decided to act on her desires without further explanation or vows of love.
To avoid suspicion at home, she considers using technology and alibis typical of a practiced adulteress.
Key Moment: Linda navigates a traffic‑clogged Geneva to meet Jacob for their first hotel tryst.
New Information: Linda learns about “alibi apps” used by people having affairs in Switzerland to deceive their partners.
Chapter 39: The Return to Passion
In the hotel room, Linda feels like she has regained her “soul’s virginity” but quickly becomes tense and drinks gin to calm her nerves.
Jacob is forceful, leading her through a sexual encounter marked by a lack of traditional romance and the use of a condom.
He takes her in a way that is painful and submissive, ordering her to “scream” and “tell me it hurts.”
Linda is both frightened and fascinated by this wild side of herself, playing the role of a “slut” or “whore” for him.
Key Moment: Linda and Jacob consummate their affair in a luxury hotel room through a forceful and unconventional encounter.
New Information: Jacob is highly experienced in covering the tracks of his infidelity and advises Linda on how to deceive her husband.
Chapter 40: Differing Intentions
Reflecting on the hotel encounter, Linda realizes that she and Jacob had completely different motivations.
She was searching for a lost romance and the boy from her youth, while he was driven by a hunter’s instinct and a desire for distraction from his political career.
She views her actions as a “spiritual crime” against her family, noting that women often give a part of their heart during such transgressions.
Despite this, she finds herself masturbating to the memory of the humiliation and power dynamics.
Key Moment: Linda realizes her affair is driven by a dark, submissive side she didn’t know she had.
New Information: Linda creates a mental fantasy of being a “dominatrix” over Jacob, flipping the power dynamic.
Chapter 41: Morning Masks
The next morning, Linda returns to her routine, pretending to be the efficient and happy wife while her husband reads the news.
Her husband notices her improved mood, which only heightens her sense of guilt and internal conflict.
She struggles to justify her actions, blaming her loneliness and a need to be challenged or questioned.
She feels like a “monster” for showing such affection to her husband right after her betrayal.
Key Moment: Linda’s husband praises her “happiness,” unaware that it stems from her recent infidelity.
New Information: Linda’s husband tells her he “can’t live without” her, deepening her inner turmoil.
Chapter 42: The Shaman’s Vanity
At work, Linda’s editor praises her article on the Cuban shaman, which has become a huge hit with readers.
Linda admits to herself that she fabricated much of the content from internet blogs because the shaman had stopped speaking to her.
She manages to arrange another meeting with the shaman by appealing to his vanity and threatening him with competition from other “healers.”
During the meeting, he explains that women are more sensitive to the spiritual world, which makes them prone to “bipolar” crises.
Key Moment: Linda manipulates the shaman into another meeting to further her “research” into her own mental state.
New Information: The shaman reveals that his own wife left him because he was unfaithful and impotent with his lover.
Chapter 43: Biblical Transgressions
Linda reflects on the biblical story of King David and Bathsheba to contextualize her own adultery.
She notes that even great leaders like David committed adultery and betrayal without needing a psychological justification.
She finds herself repeating these transgressions with Jacob, meeting him four times in two weeks for “normal and unconventional intercourse.”
Although she initially sought romance, she now finds herself surrendering to the physical thrill of the affair.
Key Moment: Linda contextualizes her affair through the biblical story of David and Bathsheba.
New Information: Linda and Jacob have met four times in two weeks for sexual encounters.
Chapter 44: The Waning Rivalry
As the affair continues, Marianne König begins to lose her importance in Linda’s mind.
Linda no longer wants a divorce for Jacob; she is content with having a lover while maintaining the security of her marriage and career.
She wonders what to do with the cocaine she bought, realizing it is a dangerous liability that she no longer intends to use.
Her “crush” on Jacob is showing signs of being a temporary distraction rather than a deep love.
Key Moment: Linda decides that she no longer wants to destroy Marianne and is content with the status quo of her affair.
New Information: Linda realizes her feelings for Jacob are a “crush” destined to end at any moment.
Chapter 45: The Holiday Chill
The approach of Christmas triggers a return of Linda’s “dragon” of depression and existential dread.
She reflects on her hatred for the forced happiness of the holiday season, recalling a trip to New York where she felt like an alien.
Her sexual relationship with her husband has become more frequent, possibly as a way to mask her affair or due to a heightened libido.
She has become an expert at eliminating the traces of her trysts with Jacob, taking showers at the hotel and reapplying makeup.
Key Moment: Linda notices that her “wild” side is starting to spill over into her everyday interactions.
New Information: Linda carries an extra pair of panties and takes showers at the hotel to avoid detection by her family.
Chapter 46: The Myth of Eros and Psyche
While visiting a market in Plainpalais with her family, Linda is drawn to a painting of a nude woman and an angel.
Her husband buys it for her and later explains that it represents the myth of Eros and Psyche.
He tells the story of how Psyche lost Eros by seeking “security in knowledge” and failing to trust him.
Linda reflects on her own marriage, realizing that love is an “art” that requires work and that she needs to “fall in love” with her husband again.
Key Moment: Linda’s husband uses the myth of Eros and Psyche to highlight the importance of trust and mystery in love.
New Information: Linda’s husband believes that seeking to explain “mysterious human relationships” destroys them.
Chapter 47: The Public Encounter
Linda and her husband attend a TV station reception where Jacob and Marianne are also present.
Linda is called to the stage by the host, Darius Rochebin, to share her experiences, which makes her feel triumphant over Marianne.
After the ceremony, Marianne insists that both couples have dinner together at Hotel Les Armures.
The dinner is tense as Marianne deliberately brings up the topic of “stupid jealousy,” forcing a confrontation.
Key Moment: Marianne forces a double date and uses the conversation about jealousy to provoke Linda.
New Information: Marianne claims to encourage Jacob’s affairs to heighten her own sexual pleasure.
Chapter 48: The Breaking Point
Linda snaps during the dinner, accusing Marianne of being an “obsessively jealous” person who just wants to be the center of attention.
She leaves the restaurant in a fury, taking two Valiums to cope with the stress and humiliation.
The next morning, Jacob sends her a text message stating that she “blew it” and that Marianne is now certain of their affair.
Linda breaks down in her car, sobbing uncontrollably as she realizes she has put her entire family and career at risk for a man who sees her as a “sexual hobby.”
Key Moment: Jacob informs Linda that her behavior at dinner confirmed Marianne’s suspicions, ending their secrecy.
New Information: Linda realizes she is “madly in love” with Jacob despite his treatment of her.
Chapter 49: The Fireplace Truth
Linda returns home and prepares a quiet evening by the fireplace, intending to confess everything to her husband.
However, her husband preempts her confession with a monologue about the price of dreams and his own struggle with jealousy.
He tells her that he would “endure anything” to keep her by his side and that she is free to seek her happiness elsewhere if she chooses.
He emphasizes that he is not interested in jealousy, only in what she thinks and feels.
Key Moment: Linda’s husband offers her unconditional love and the freedom to leave, making her confession unnecessary.
New Information: Linda’s husband admits he would “endure anything” to keep her by his side.
Chapter 50: The Tycoon’s Lessons
Linda interviews a former tycoon who has lost his fortune but maintains a facade of confidence and optimism.
The interview is tedious, but it prompts Linda to reflect on the nature of love and the human need for results and companionship.
She realizes that the “optimism” the tycoon preaches is a poor substitute for the fear and loneliness that drive people to make desperate choices.
She feels she has been living in a “fantasy world” while the rest of Switzerland lives in reality.
Key Moment: The interview with the ruined tycoon highlights Linda’s own feelings of being “lost in the fantasy” of her affair.
New Information: Linda has been having an affair for months but feels she is finally returning to reality.
Chapter 51: The Last Call
Determined to have a “civilized ending,” Linda calls Jacob’s office and insists on an urgent meeting.
His assistant tries to put her off, but Linda’s persistence and status as a journalist gain her access.
She knows she is taking a risk, but she feels it is necessary to look Jacob in the eyes and end the affair properly.
She reflects on the “Jet d’Eau” in Geneva as a monument to love that is always changing and never the same.
Key Moment: Linda forces a final meeting with Jacob at his office to end their relationship.
New Information: Linda views the Jet d’Eau as a symbol of love’s constant movement and change.
Chapter 52: The Final Surrender
In Jacob’s office, Linda surprises him with a final, passionate sexual encounter on his leather sofa.
Despite his fear of being caught, they surrender to each other one last time, with Linda speaking the “nastiest things” and demanding to be treated without respect.
Afterward, she tells him that it is over and that she is choosing her husband, who stood by her when she was at her lowest.
She gives him the manila envelope containing the 30 grams of cocaine, telling him to throw it away as a symbolic end to her “addiction” to him.
Key Moment: Linda ends her affair with Jacob and gives him the cocaine, choosing her husband and family.
New Information: Linda realizes that her husband’s love is what restored her self‑respect.
Chapter 53: The Trip Back in Time
Linda and her husband return to Interlaken for a trip intended to relive the early days of their relationship.
However, the memories of the past feel suffocating, and Linda’s husband drinks heavily, admitting he is frustrated with his “ordinary life.”
He confesses a long‑held dream of selling everything to buy a boat and travel the world, a dream that died with the birth of their first child.
He admits to feeling a “dark hole” and a dread of the future, similar to the depression Linda had experienced.
Key Moment: Linda’s husband confesses his own “dark hole” and his regret over unfulfilled dreams of adventure.
New Information: Linda’s husband dreamed of abandoning his stable life to travel the world on a boat.
Chapter 54: The Decision to Fly
Waking up in Interlaken, Linda watches paragliders landing in the park outside their hotel.
She wonders if risking one’s life is the only way to escape the boredom of a routine existence.
Her husband, inspired by the sight, decides that they should go paragliding together to test their limits.
Despite her fear of heights and death, Linda agrees, realizing that she needs to jump before she has time to let her “demons” out.
Key Moment: Linda and her husband decide to go paragliding to break their routine and face their fears.
New Information: Linda realizes that the danger of a fall is the same regardless of the jump’s height.
Chapter 55: Jumping into the Void
Linda stands at the edge of a chasm, strapped to a 21‑year‑old instructor, and begins to run toward the void.
Once in the air, her fear is replaced by a profound sense of peace and a feeling of being “free” in the silence.
She experiences a state of “Eternity,” feeling connected to the mountains, the lakes, and even an eagle flying alongside them.
She hears “revelations” that help her distance herself from her mundane worries and her “loneliness.”
Key Moment: Linda experiences a spiritual epiphany and a sense of “Eternity” while paragliding in Interlaken.
New Information: Linda believes she is communicating telepathically with an eagle during her flight.
Chapter 56: The End of the Year
As the year comes to an end, Linda reflects on the challenges she has faced and her “crossing of the ocean” back to dry land.
She realizes that a relationship needs to be a constant “surprise” and a challenge to remain alive.
She understands that time and wisdom do not change people, but love does.
She concludes that her experience in the air taught her that love for the universe is the most powerful force.
Key Moment: Linda reflects on her growth and the necessity of keeping a relationship “surprising” to survive.
New Information: Linda believes that love is the only thing that truly changes a person.
Chapter 57: The Meaning of True Love
Linda recalls a sermon about Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Corinthians, which emphasized that “to love abundantly is to live abundantly.”
She reflects on how many spiritual texts offer peace but forget love, which is the only thing that justifies existence.
She identifies a few moments in her life that were “True Love”: the birth of her children and her flight in Interlaken.
She realizes that life is a “constant learning process” centered on learning to love better.
Key Moment: Linda identifies the birth of her children and her epiphany in Interlaken as the only moments of “True Love” in her life.
New Information: Linda believes that even loving a pet can justify a human life.
Chapter 58: A New Beginning
On New Year’s Eve, Linda abandons her window to celebrate with her family, following traditional Swiss rituals.
She makes her children and husband climb on the sofa to step into the new year with their right feet and eat twelve grapes for prosperity.
It begins to snow, fulfilling her wish for a romantic and meaningful end to a difficult year.
She feels a deep sense of joy and is certain that the new year will be “excellent.”
Key Moment: Linda celebrates the New Year with her family, finding peace and prosperity in their traditions.
New Information: Linda performs the tradition of eating twelve grapes and saving the seeds for prosperity.
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