Summary

Chapter 1: Part II starts at the beginning of the summer of 1984, just after Sam graduates from high school. She is living with her uncle because her mother recently moved to Lexington with her new husband and had a baby. Sam’s mother, Irene, let her finish high school in Hopewell and allows her to continue living in the same house with her Uncle Emmett.

Sam loves music and frequently mentions Bruce Springsteen and the Beatles.

This summer Sam begins thinking about the Vietnam War—her father never came home, but her uncle did. Sam’s uncle Emmett is her mother’s brother and when he came home from the war, Sam’s mother Irene took him in. He does not work, owes money to the VA and has really bad acne that Sam thinks is from Agent Orange exposure.

People in Hopewell don...