The Arrangement

A dark rooster in a navy blazer taking a book from a library shelf, a lamp glowing behind him

February XVII

The spines face outward—not by accident. Ferrante, Knausgård, that Zadie Smith he's been meaning to start. The guests arrive at seven. He's positioned them such that the light catches the gilt lettering just so. Whether he's read them is, he feels, beside the point.

17 February 2026