Certain historical facts have been twisted to fit Eugene Allen’s fictive universe.”
-- The Editor (Editor's Note)

Importance: This opening line of the novel sets up a central problem introduces one of the central dilemmas of the novel: the blurred line between falsity and truth. This quote is written from the perspective of an editor who does not really exist, and who believes in a set of historical facts that themselves also diverge from the truth. While Allen’s writing is fictive in the eyes of the editor, the editor is fictive to the reader, and this subversion of the conventions of authoritative truth creates a chaotic space where Allen’s novel can portray the experiences of Vietnam veterans with greater accuracy than cold non-fiction.

April’s the cruelest month, they say, but I wouldn’t go that far. At least not yet. I’m going to do my best to make it the cruelest...
-- Meg (Chapter 1: Big and Grand Rapids)