Gately and the wraith on figurants (p. 839)
His last resort: entertainment. Make something so bloody compelling it would reverse thrust on a young self’s fall into the womb of solipsism, anhedonia, death in life. A magically entertaining toy to dangle at the infant still somewhere alive in the boy, to make its eyes light and toothless mouth open unconsciously, to laugh. To bring him ‘out of himself,’ as they say. The womb could be used both ways. A way to say I AM SO VERY, VERY SORRY and have it heard.
Context
The wraith on the last ninety sober days of his animate life: the Entertainment conceived as rescue apparatus — reverse thrust against Hal's fall. Anhedonia named verbatim and set in the book's darkest apposition, "solipsism, anhedonia, death in life," as one womb with three names: the theme's diagnosis of Hal delivered by his dead father over Gately's hospital bed, and the origin story of the samizdat in the same breath.