Chapter 1 Summary

The novel opens on a train carrying David far away from his small town. The experience on the train brings him back to his childhood, when he receives a toy train for Christmas. Only adults were present on these occasions, and there were hardly any other children living around them, so David stayed inside where it was warm and played with his toy train.

This was when Aunt Mae came to live with them. She was the strongest childhood memory for David, besides the train. Aunt Mae's outlandish ways and revealing dresses were rare in their small town yet despite her differences, Aunt Mae became David's best friend.

Father encourages David to start playing with other little boys, and everyday David is dropped off at Bruce's house. The first thing Bruce ever did was throw David's hat into the stream. He was the...