Chapter 1 Summary and Analysis

James Frey, twenty-three, wakes up on an airplane with a hole in his cheek, a broken nose, and no front teeth, wallet, or luggage. He does not remember how he sustained these injuries or how he got on the airplane, nor does he know where the flight is going. Once the airplane lands in Chicago, James vomits on himself and discovers his parents waiting for him at the end of the concourse. James feels embarrassed and panicked; his mother begins to cry, and his father doesn't speak. They drive to a cabin in Wisconsin and James wakes up only to drink two bottles of wine that his father unwillingly buys at a gas station. At the cabin, James thanks his parents for picking him up at the airport. Obviously worried, his parents try to hug him, but James feels uncomfortable and...