Summary

In Chapter 1, set in the years 5 - 1 B.V. (before the virus), the narrator indicates that before Amy Harper Bellafonte became the girl who lived a thousand years, she was a regular child. She was named after Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird. Jeanette did the best she could to support herself and Amy, but as a single mother she began to fall behind on her bills. When she lost her job because she had car trouble, Jeanette and Amy went to Memphis where Jeanette began to rely on prostitution to buy food. One night, a college student took Jeanette to his frat house. When the boy tried to force Jeanette into the house, Jeanette shot him and escaped.

Jeanette returned to the hotel and packed Amy’s things, including her Peter Rabbit, into Amy’s backpack. Jeanette took...