A Gentle Life

Summary

• The protagonist, Nora, finds herself in a new life where she works in a modern, grey-bricked, single-story dog rescue center, which she quickly adjusts to due to familiar elements such as name tags and the helpful guidance of a woman named Pauline.
• Nora spends her mornings feeding and walking the dogs, and particularly bonds with a traumatized bullmastiff named Sally. She also cleans the cages and plays with an Alsatian named Diesel.
• Through her interactions, Nora finds she likes this life and the version of herself within it. She reflects on the concept of compassion as the basis of life and morality.
• At the dog center, Nora interacts with Dylan, a fellow worker and her boyfriend in this life, who is kind and gentle. She discovers that they had attended the same secondary school, and recalls seeing him during a significant moment in her past, when her dad died.
• The chapter ends with Dylan and Nora sitting on a bench, eating lunch and discussing plans for dinner and a movie; they are considering moving in together. Nora appreciates Dylan's simplicity and pureness, likening him to a dog himself.