Summary

Chapter 1 opens with Mallory explaining a time that she volunteered for a research study because she needed money. Mallory cannot remember the name of the woman she met with, but thinks the woman’s name might be Susan. Mallory is blindfolded and instructed to stand still in a silent room while men stare at her until Mallory can sense the male gaze and raise her hand. Mallory repeats the experiment a few more times. Susan tells Mallory that Mallory is the first person to “deliver a near-perfect score” (3). Susan asks Mallory to participate further in the study, but Mallory “trade[s] her iPhone for five Oxy-80s,” (4) and Mallory never hears from Susan. Mallory thinks about her recovery from addiction and her relationship with Russell, her sponsor, who explains that “false memories are common among addicts” (4), so what Mallory remembers happening with Susan...