Summary

In Chapter 1, set October 17, 2012, Jorge Castro, who teaches creative writing and Latin American literature at Bell College, is jogging in the rain. He sees the old poet, later identified as Olivia Kingsbury, sitting on her front porch. She is struggling to put together a poem when she sees Jorge run past.

When Jorge reaches the playground, he sees a passenger van with the side door open and an elderly couple outside. The man is sitting in a motorized wheelchair. He recognizes the woman as Professor Emily Harris who teaches English Literature. Jorge asks if they need help. Emily’s husband Rodney “Roddy” Harris, also a professor, explains the battery is dead on his chair and asks if Jorge can push him up the ramp.

Jorge thinks to himself as he pushes that wheelchair, that the license plate on the van is from the...