Summary

Chapter 1 opens in 1995. The protagonist and narrator, Lillian Breaker, is a 28-year-old woman. She works a minimum-wage job at a grocery store and lives with her mother in her hometown (a small, unspecified town in Tennessee.) One day, she receives a letter from an old friend named Madison Roberts. (Madison’s maiden name is Roberts, but she’s married now.) Madison wants Lillian to come to her and her husband’s house in Franklin, Tennessee, even though the two women have not seen each other in years. The narrative then enters an extended flashback to give background information. Lillian grew up poor, raised by her single mother. Lillian’s mother has always been lazy, uncaring, and somewhat cruel towards Lillian. Lillian dreamed of being a high achiever, and she even managed to earn a scholarship to an upscale boarding school called Iron Mountain Girls...