Prologue, Day One Summary and Analysis

In the prologue, it becomes immediately clear that Samantha Kingston is dead. The novel is told entirely from her first-person point-of-view, and the prologue is no exception. The prologue is told in past tense narration, unlike the individual chapters, which are told in present tense, which signifies to the reader that Lindsey has reached the end of her journey - she has crossed over, or she has saved herself, but the audience doesn't know which. Sam starts her narration by describing what it feels like to die. Your life doesn't flash before your eyes, as everyone claims. Before she died, Sam didn't think about anything or anyone, not her boyfriend, not her best friends, not her family. The only person whose face she saw was Vicky Hallinan, the girl whom her friend Lindsey used to tease in...