Summary

Chapter 1, “Beginning,” opens with the narrator’s thoughts on the general social atmosphere of doom and gloom. The novel begins after Donald Trump’s election and before his inauguration. The narrator is a woman in her mid-to-late-twenties. Her name is never stated. The narrator is a frequent user of social media. She is dating a man named Felix, who is about the same age as her. He claims to not use social media often, but he also seems to be secretive about his phone usage. One night, the narrator takes his phone while he is asleep, and she looks through its digital contents. At first, she finds nothing interesting. However, she soon finds that Felix is the operator of an anonymous Instagram account that posts conspiracy theories. Most of the posts appear popular with right-wing conspiracy theorists. The narrator is surprised by the account...