Arcadia

The narrative flashes forward to Bit at age five. The unofficial leader of Arcadia, Handy, is preparing for a musical tour he’ll use to spread the word of Arcadia. Bit is frightened of fellow Arcadian Dartful Codger, an elderly man who shouts. The Dartful Codger dies in his sleep, with Bit having watched him die and “wake up” with a look of peace. When Hannah cries over the death, Bit is confused. Abe explains Hannah is dealing with her own father’s poor health. Bit remembers meeting his grandparents, who visited Arcadia and remarked on his small size. However, he knows his mother hasn’t been herself for a while.

Arcadia’s community of about 80 people plans to finish construction of a dilapidated mansion, Arcadia House, while Handy is away. They plan it as a surprise for him and refer to the plan as the Secret. When Arcadia House is finally complete after three years, they will all be able to live together, not in groups of buses and tents. In the meantime, Bit sleeps on pallets on the floor in between his parents. One of his favorite Arcadians is Titus, an old Vietnam War veteran. Titus sneaks him snacks from the Outside; these treats are forbidden in Arcadia because of their manufacturing and sugar content. Titus slips Bit some candy the morning of Handy’s departure when the community comes together to say goodbye. Handy has a main wife named Astrid and a second wife named Lila; Lila herself has a main husband named Hiero. Handy has four children: Ike, Erik, Leif, and Helle. Abe rallies everyone to begin work on Arcadia House. Bit finds Hannah alone and shivering, and tries to comfort her.

Bit wakes up at night frightened of a snowstorm and wolves. Abe comforts him with the story of his birth, which Bit knows well. Bit was the first baby born to Arcadia—the first Arcadian. His parents had followed Handy’s band for a while, observing other communes and figuring out their own dream to escape society. Handy had been a medic in the military, the only person in the group with medical training. He thought Hannah was five months pregnant because she was so small, so when her labor began on a drive from Oregon to Colorado, Abe drove until he found Handy’s wife, Astrid. Astrid helped Hannah deliver Bit. Now, Astrid is Arcadia’s midwife. Hannah and Abe named Bit “Ridley Sorrel Stone,” with his nickname being Bit because he is small.

While Abe works on Arcadia House, Hannah is supposed to work at the bakery with fellow Arcadians Regina and Ollie but doesn’t show up. Regina chastises her, reminding her that everyone needs to help out at Arcadia. Hannah says she’s sick. When Regina asks if she’s still upset about what happened in the fall, Hannah shushes her because she doesn’t want Bit to overhear. Regina, like Handy, doesn’t believe children belong to their parents and therefore thinks Hannah should tell Bit the truth. Hannah says if Regina had children, she would know a child does belong to their mother. Bit overhears and feels sick, sensing something stressful he doesn’t understand. Later, he is sad when his mother doesn’t want to breastfeed him.

Bit enjoys Arcadia but knows when there is trouble. Sometimes, it comes in the form of newcomers escaping their pasts. Many Arcadians are scarred from childhood trauma. Bit recognizes similar trauma in his mother, who “has begun to stare at the walls and allows her braids to unravel. She forgets to start supper. Her golden skin fades to a pallor, blue bruises press under her eyes” (24). One day, he helps Titus chop wood. They watch an Arcadian named Kaptain Amerika leave for his psychotherapy appointment. Like Kaptain Amerika, many Arcadians are on welfare, which helps keep the community afloat when money is tight. A group of college boys pull up, hoping to interview Handy. Titus sends them away and frightens Bit with his aggressive tone. Later, Bit accompanies his mother to Arcadia House, where the women help clean up after construction. The land, which includes dilapidated buildings like Arcadia House, is revealed to have been given to Handy by Titus, who inherited it from his family.

When the Arcadians, who also call themselves the Free People, first arrived at the commune, they discussed goals and rules: All income, inheritance, and government welfare is shared; non-fugitives can join as long as they work for the good of the community; everyone adopts a vegan lifestyle and keeps no pets; sex between partners means marriage, so multiple marriages are permitted; and while no punishment is needed, Arcadians must reenforce their goals and rules through open criticism (Creative Critique). Arcadians farm, sometimes working with their Amish neighbors, though once, there was a desperate period of hunger and poverty until Hannah accessed her parents’ trust fund.

Arcadia House has many rooms that haven’t been touched in years. Bit explores and finds an old copy of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. He is fascinated by the beautiful illustrations and sneaks the book into his pants. Hannah, frantic that she’s lost her son in the construction zone, finds him and the book. She lets Bit keep the book, barely registering it, which disappoints him. Bit hides the book so he can keep it for himself, as Arcadia’s rule for consolidating money includes personal property.

Bit’s best friend, eight-year-old Jincy, comes over to avoid her parents’ fighting. Jincy tells him a mix of fictional stories and gossip about other Arcadians, such as fights and new pregnancies. Meanwhile, Arcadian adults attend the Creative Critique of one of their members, a man named Tarzan who has been sexually harassing girls and women. Later, Bit is woken up by men’s angry voices. His mother tells him that fellow Arcadian Wonder Bill is leaving because the police are searching for him. The police raid the compound, and Bit is surprised to discover they are not literally pigs. The sheriff speaks with Titus, the police fail to find Wonder Bill, and as they leave, the Arcadians cheer.

Now that Bit is reading his Grimm Brothers book, his language has developed: His “Speech splinters into words, each phrase with its own order: Scuse me becomes Excuse me” (41), and he starts seeing Arcadians as physical manifestations of characters. The most vivid connection he makes is between a sleeping princess under a spell and his sleeping mother. Bit kisses his sleeping mother like the princes of fairy tales, but she doesn’t wake because, he figures, he is not her prince. Later, Arcadian children discuss the possibilities that will come with Arcadia House, such as toilets that flush. Meanwhile, Jincy’s mother, Caroline, leaves Arcadia without saying goodbye. Regina checks on Hannah, who refuses to leave her bed or go to work. Her depression grows worse, and Bit is worried.

A fire starts in one of the dwellings; a baby dies, but his parents survive. Hannah cries and tells her friend Marilyn that her life of poverty was not what she signed up for, that she can’t do it anymore. One day, the children play by the water, pretending to fish, which Arcadia doesn’t allow because they’re vegans. Bit kills a fish, causing the others to scream at him and run away. Saddened and confused, he sits by the water, uncertain how to navigate his feelings. Astrid eventually comes to get him and promises that one day, he’ll be able to talk about his feelings and understand the world around him. Later, Bit helps Astrid with fellow Arcadian Eden’s childbirth. Though he’s not supposed to be present, he provides Eden with much needed comfort.

Eventually, the women of Arcadia take Hannah away from her bed for a Creative Critique. Bit sneaks in to watch and is horrified by others telling his mother that she needs to “get over” the baby she lost; only Titus stands up for her. Bit runs to his mother, exposing his presence to the others. Abe drags him away, but he struggles to return to his mother. Later that night, he overhears Abe telling Hannah that either they have to leave or she has to try to overcome her depression and contribute to Arcadia.

Bit goes on a nature tour with the other children, but sneaks away to explore on his own. Because of his book, he now believes that if he goes on a quest, he can save his mother. He wanders through the forest and finds a graveyard, though he doesn’t know what it is. A woman and a mysterious animal arrive. They stare at one another; then the woman leaves without speaking. Bit finds his way back to Arcadia. Hannah hasn’t fully recovered, but she gets out of bed and works in the bakery every day, confirming to Bit that his quest worked.

Bit watches the men play sports and realizes he and the men, despite their differences in age and size, are not different. Another day, he realizes the nature of time, how people are born and die, how time can go slowly or quickly. He relates this concept to his mother and the fact that there are stages in life—some happy, and some sad. The Arcadia House is not perfect, but it is completed before unofficial leader Handy is due to return. Hannah’s father finally dies.

Handy returns and initially doesn’t seem excited about Arcadia House. However, he and Arcadia soon celebrate their move into the mansion. Now that Handy is back, the community can hold a memorial for the baby who died in the fire. Arcadia House changes Arcadia for the better, as it provides comfort and safety. Bit is placed in a dormitory with other children. He writes a note to the supervising adult that he’s too small and needs to sleep with his parents. Both the supervisor and Hannah are shocked to discover Bit can read and write. He moves back into his parents’ room and sees them having sex, but doesn’t know what the act is. One day, Bit plays outside as his father fixes the roof of Arcadia House. He watches with fear as his father stumbles and falls to the ground.