From Crazy Sorrow, a novel, which will be published this month by Simon and Schuster.

Fall passed to winter passed to early spring. All of it mild—God’s little favor. Arthur was getting an award from the Press Photography Association for photographs taken on September 11, 2001, and in the days after. He had invited George and asked their friend Louis to introduce him, an odd choice. Louis was not a member of the Society of Professional Photographers but he was a celebrity playwright now. George bought a table and filled it with various eager souls from his company.

At…