Surfacing

Surfacing Summary | Chapter 1 Summary

Surfacing begins with the narrator's describing the road on which she is traveling. It is a familiar road that she used to travel often as a child. She describes the different stores and restaurants that she had visited and different memories she has of those places. This time she is with three other people, not her family. David is driving, and beside him sits his wife, Anna. She sits in the back seat holding Joe's, her lover's, hand.

The scenery changes from cow pastures to a small town. Anna spends some of the time singing. The narrator explains that Anna is her best friend, although she has only known her 2 months.

The group stops at a house made of glass bottles that the narrator points out. David and Joe, who are making a film montage called "Random Samples," are interested in taking some pictures of it. Neither of them has any experience making a movie.

It has been a long time since the narrator has traveled on these roads. They need to stop and ask for directions. The narrator reveals that they have come to look for her father, who may be alive or not. It is also revealed that they are in a French-speaking part of Canada on their way to a village.