FOR months, Selina had been making cutting comments about her body. ‘Am I getting fat?’ she’d regularly ask Noah, grabbing at her flesh. Paralysed by indecision, Noah would just stare at her until she tired of his silence and retreated, grumbling. Her self-criticisms continued, however, and Noah, lamenting his disengagement, silently vowed to help. Selina was preparing dinner when he gave her the gift. The ease with which she tore the weight-loss book in half led Noah to surmise that her core strength, at least, was good. He’d mention this later, he decided, at a better time.