Summary

The novel’s prologue opens in Cleveland, Ohio. The protagonist—whose name is never given—is a 25-year-old male living with Emily, his girlfriend of the same age. Emily is a graduate student, and she and the protagonist are both heroin addicts. Emily and the protagonist are devoted to each other, but they often have fierce verbal fights. One morning, their drug dealer, Black, arrives at their apartment to deliver heroin. The protagonist has recently resorted to robbing banks in order to make money. He drives to a bank that morning. He enters the bank with a gun, the teller gives him some money, and he leaves. He begins to walk to where he parked his car, but he hears sirens growing closer. He takes a detour and decides to try escaping on foot by walking and looking innocent and nonchalant. The prologue...