Part 1 Summary and Analysis

The book opens with a recounting of the story of a case in 1853 in which two men, Cartwright and Firman, enter into a deadly argument. Cartwright is chased by vigilantes but he kills off one of the mob before they capture and hang him. It's noted that the identities of the mob were generally known, but that the men weren't punished for the lynching. This remains the "most sensational" event of the area of Plainfield, Wisconsin, until a century later when a man named Ed Gein will "make the name of Plainfield, Wisconsin, forever synonymous with darkness, insanity, and unimaginable horror." In chapter two, some history of Ed's family is presented. Ed's father, George, is orphaned at age three and raised by his Scottish grandparents. As an adult, he drinks often and drifts regularly from one job to another.

George meets...