Summary

In Chapter 1, Allie wakes up in pain from her boyfriend Leo’s beating. She moves slowly, trying not to wake him. She finds the book she was reading before Leo got home the night before and flung it across the room (1). Before work, she reads the murder mystery.

The house is filthy, but Allie refuses to clean up Leo’s mess. As she finishes getting ready, she is grateful for her looks. Although 40, she looks young. She has a beauty regimen.

Outside, Allie greets the neighbor children, wishing them Happy New Year. On the bus, she pretends to read. Her mind wanders into “the rabbit hole in [her] head,” where she has gone since she was little (5).

The hole closes when her coworker Tamika boards the bus. Tamika announces that she and Curtis got engaged over Christmas. Tamika badgers Allie about what Leo...