Summary

In Chapter 1, "Everything is Backward," Matt Miller attends his first day of his senior year of high school. School started weeks earlier, but Matt has been absent because his mother, Daisy Miller, had grown ill from breast cancer and died. Matt feels disconnected from school and realizes his attitude has changed with his mother's death. His classmates are uncertain how to act with him. A friend named James had kidded with Matt when they met over the summer for their senior photos, but now James is avoiding Matt. Chris Hayes, Matt's best friend, is the exception. He greets Matt by saying he is sorry that Daisy died and that he is sorry he did not attend the funeral. He says he could not bring himself to attend. Matt is angry but refrains from saying what he feels. Matt knows that, ultimately, Chris cannot imagine...