High Fidelity

Rob meets up with Sarah. He finds out that her boyfriend left her and that she is eager to take up his offer for a date. Looking back on their breakup, Sarah cannot believe that she left Rob for such a man. Rob recognizes that he could, if he wanted to, sleep with Sarah. He decides against doing so. The evening helps Rob to feel better; he now only has Charlie left on his list of break ups.

Dick and Rob quiz Barry about his new bandmates. Barry refuses to answer any questions and storms out of the shop. Rob tracks down Charlie, who still lives in London. After a few false starts, he leaves her a message on her answering machine. He does not expect to receive a response. Marie visits the store. She and Rob talk about their night together, and then she invites him to a concert featuring T-Bone that evening. Although Rob does not want to go, he does. He even enjoys himself, and the night ends amicably with Rob returning to his own house, alone.

Charlie returns Rob’s phone call. Their conversation gives Rob the sense that Charlie is not quite the mythical, unattainable woman who exists in his memory. Charlie reveals that other boyfriends, including the man who tempted her away from Rob, have been calling her, searching for answers about their past breakups. Rob pretends that he is not doing exactly, that and he accepts an invitation to a dinner party at Charlie’s house. Later, in a conversation with Lisa, Rob is asked why he resents women who have better jobs than he does. Rob jokes, but he has no real response. 

Rob goes to Charlie’s dinner party. At first, his heart sinks because she is still a beautiful woman. Part of his reason for attending is that Charlie claims to have a friend who might be a good match for him. This friend, Clara, will show Rob who Charlie believes to be a suitable match for him, therefore telling him more about himself. He struggles to make conversation with the other guests, all of whom seem more successful, interesting, and attractive than him. As he listens to them speak, Rob envies these people but comes to realize that Charlie “talks bollocks all night” (199). She does not listen and acts pretentiously. These are not new traits, Rob realizes, but this is who she has always been. Rob stays later than the other guests, including Clara. He sits and talks with Charlie, admitting that he is searching for meaning in his past relationships. Charlie confesses that dating Rob became exhausting. Rob agrees with her that he was and still is “dim, gloomy, a drag, unfashionable, unfanciable, and awkward” (200). Rob takes a cab home and reflects on the way in which Charlie skewered him with his most pressing self-doubts. 

Barry wants to put up a poster in the store, advertising his new band’s concert. Rob reminds Barry that they have a rule against putting up posters for bad or unknown bands. Barry protests and admits that his band is named Barrytown. He is also insulted when Rob declines his invitation. He accuses Rob of being bitter, which Rob finds difficult to refute. The accusation of bitterness makes Rob reflect on his status in life and his annoyance that he has squandered his potential. 

A month after the breakup, Laura returns to the apartment to take her possessions. She is annoyed that Ian called Rob but does not want to talk about it. After removing all her possessions, they stare at the empty spaces in the small, untidy apartment. When Laura encourages Rob to redecorate, he begins to taunt Ian. Eventually, Rob can make Laura laugh, but she stops quickly. She refuses to take all the records he bought for her as presents, suggesting that they were all attempts by Rob to turn her into himself. He acts obtuse and refuses to acknowledge her deeper point. After she leaves, he wonders what he has learned from his breakup with Laura and whether he should change his behavior. He decides that he should not do so.