Summary

Part One, Chapter 1 begins in the house of Dev Hendricks and is told from Dev’s perspective. Dev Hendricks lived in the remote countryside outside the fictional Irish town of Ballina in County Mayo. As he fell asleep on the couch with his laptop on top of him he heard his phone buzz three times and recognized it as a signal. He went to the front door just as a car pulled into his driveway. Two men, brothers Gabe and Sketch Ferdia, brought a third man, seventeen-year-old Doll English, into Dev’s house. Doll resisted going inside but Sketch shoved him over the threshold.

Inside, it quickly became apparent to Dev that Doll was there against his will. Doll commented on Dev’s height. Dev was unusually tall and broad. Doll asked to be given his phone back but the Ferdias refused. Gabe...