Summary

The novel begins with the short section "Before the Beginning," in which Matthew Dunbar — the eldest of the five Dunbar brother, and the narrator of the novel — recounts the tale of how he retrieved the typewriter on which he writes the story itself. The typewriter, known as "Old TW" (3), was buried in the back yard of a home now inhabited by a couple called the Merchinsons. Matthew drove to the house and was met by the Merchinsons, who helped him dig up patches of their yard. After first digging up a snake skeleton and the bones of a dog, Matthew found the battered typewriter wrapped in plastic. He left, taking the animal bones and the typewriter with him.

After the prologue, the narrative leaps forward to "The Beginning," and we join a character known only as "The Murderer" as he arrives at the home...