Summary

The August 27 chapter begins with a 15-year-old boy, Theo, driving his mother’s Buick with the girl he has a crush on, Misty, in the passenger seat, and his sister, Sarah, in the back (3). Theo doesn’t have a license and barely knows how to drive. Theo accidentally drops a lighter down his shirt, causing him to crash the car (5). His father, Ben, who sees the crash happen outside their window, rushes to help, but Misty has died, partially because Theo does “the worst thing imaginable. He has moved her” (6) after her neck has broken.

The novel jumps ahead to December 21, 2010, shifting over to Ben’s perspective as he sees a 10-year-old boy in the window across the street and wants to warn him to “be careful” (9). Evidently, this is the last night Ben is spending in the house he has...