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When Jess first moves into Ben’s apartment, Nick seems to be the lone friendly face she encounters there. Polite, handsome, and stylish, Nick is deeply attractive to women, and Jess finds herself drawn to him, distracting her from her task of finding Nick. His neat and minimalistic apartment, decked out with expensive technological devices and fitness equipment, befits his seemingly orderly life as a young tech worker.
Later events in the novel, however, reveal that there is more to Nick than meets the eye. Searching his bathroom, Jess discovers that Nick abuses prescription medication. Wracked by hidden turmoil, he seeks refuge in drugs that leave him emotionally numb. One source of shame for Nick is his sexuality, as he is attracted to men but must keep this a secret from his conservative father. Another source of shame is the failure of his business investments, which leaves him financially dependent upon his wealthy family. Though he poses as a young investor who has moved to Paris for professional reasons, he has in fact been forced to return to his family home because of his failures, a fact that agonizes him.
