Summary

In “In the Beginning,” one book is searching for a place to begin.

In “A Boy,” Benny listens to his Book speak, eager for others to listen, too. He knows all objects have voices. Most things “are needy” and “want attention” (4). People can choose to listen or not.

In Part One, “Home,” “The Book,” Chapter 1, the year Benny’s dad, Kenji, died, Benny started hearing voices. Kenji was high and passed out in the alleyway near home. A delivery truck ran over him. The crows, “Kenji’s friends,” landed on Kenji (8). From his room, 12-year-old Benny heard his mother, Annabelle, crying. Kenji “died on the way to the hospital” (10).

When Annabelle met with the funeral director, it struck her that Kenji was dead. Because he had no family or religion, she decided to have him cremated. Kenji’s musician friends staged an impromptu...