Sammy
The desert-dwelling bartender and aspiring writer whom Camilla loves and Arturo treats as a rival.
To maintain his independence while pursuing his own writing without accepting responsibility for Camilla’s devotion.
The book
At a glance
- The desert outside Los Angeles
- Bartender and aspiring writer
- Camilla’s unreturned love
Who they are in the book
Spoiler-freeSammy lives in the desert and receives Camilla’s devotion without returning it. His distance makes him more powerful inside the triangle than his actual attention would suggest.
His literary aspirations also provoke Arturo. Romantic jealousy and artistic competition become entangled whenever Arturo thinks about him.
How the book draws them
- Lean desert figureHis physical distance from Los Angeles supports his guarded, self-contained manner.
- Emotionally dismissiveHe does not return Camilla’s love with equal commitment.
- Aspiring writerHis manuscripts make him a professional as well as romantic rival to Arturo.
- Absent centerMuch of Camilla and Arturo’s conflict turns around a man who is often elsewhere.
Sammy remains in the desert as Camilla’s condition declines. Arturo follows her trail to his area but cannot find or recover her.
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