Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary

Other Voices, Other Rooms is the story of Joel Knox, a young boy who finds out about the different forms that love can take. Joel has been raised by his aunt Ellen in New Orleans after the death of Joel's mother. But Joel's life changes when he receives a mysterious letter inviting him to come live with his long-forgotten father at a place called Skully's Landing. What Joel finds at the deteriorating mansion at the Landing both surprises and repulses him, yet Joel remains and finds his place among the eccentric characters who become his new family.

As the story begins, a truck driver for the Turpentine Company named Sam Radclif drinks a beer at the Morning Star Café in Paradise Chapel, Louisiana. Sam is approached by the café's proprietor, Sydney Katz, asking if Sam will transport a stranded thirteen-year-old...