Part 1, Chapters 1-5 Summary

Chapter 1: Stephen King's exploration of mortality and the grieving process begins as the Creed family arrives at their new house in Ludlow, Maine. Having come from Chicago, the family is frustrated and tired from the long journey. Louis Creed is irritated at being cooped up in the car with his apprehensive wife, Rachel, his fidgety children, Ellie and Gage, and Ellie's restless cat, Church (short for Winston Churchill). He briefly entertains a fantasy of leaving his job, home and family and becoming a medic at Disney World. However, his family's joyful reaction to the New England colonial house that Louis had to choose by himself on an earlier scouting trip causes him to forget his ridiculous fantasy immediately. As the family stares with wonder at the house, young Gage utters his first real word: home.

Chapter 2: Louis' irritation is...