At long last we learn of Ma’s connection to Pakistan and Rosie, and the stories behind the Buddha featured in Part II and the chironji seeds. Chad, Kaija, and Brian break this down, reflect on how the information alters their understanding of all that came before, and how the shape of the novel is finally snapping into place. They also make predictions about what’s to come and try and figure out how years work.

Next week’s episode will cover all of Tomb of Sand! (And, if all goes according to plan, will feature Daisy Rockwell herself!) Following that episode, we’ll be jumping into Season 28: Vineland by Thomas Pynchon immediately, with the first episode coming out on August 28th. The full schedule for that season will be available in the next few days. You can purchase Tomb of Sand and Vineland from Bookshop.org or better bookshops everywhere.

This week’s music is Vampire Weekend’s “M79.”

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