Summary

The novel is narrated in the third-person past by an objective narrator. In “Chapter 1,” Beth’s mother died in a traffic accident when she was eight. She found out from a woman with a clipboard who told her the news. Her picture was taken and she was displayed in the newspaper as a newly orphaned girl without any family. She was taken to the Methuen Home in Mount Sterling, Kentucky.

Once she arrived, she was given two sedatives a day to keep her disposition even. There seemed to be no issue with her moods, but all the orphans were given the same prescription. The barber cut her hair, giving her bangs like all the other girls. Beth hated gym and was terrified of playing volleyball because she always got hurt. The best athlete at the home, Jolene, helped her learn how to hit a...