Part 1: Chapter 1

Chapter 1 basically explained a little about Steven A. LaChance's (the author's) life. He grew up in Union, Missouri and stayed there. He married his high school sweetheart and had a daughter, Lydia, and two sons, Michael and Matthew. LaChance said, "...Matthew's birth would be the last happy day in the life of my marriage." LaChance's wife went into a deep depression and decided to divorce him, leaving him with the children. LaChance moved around with his children shortly after he found out his ex-wife had kept their house. "Life as I knew it had been dramatically, drastically, and permanently altered with a few words and the slamming of a door."