Summary

When Chapter 1 opens, Mark Firth is returning from New York City to his hometown of Howland, Massachusetts, where his wife Karen and eight-year-old daughter Haley await him. The rural Howland, in the southern Berkshires, is a popular location for wealthy urbanites to build vacation homes, which is how Mark gets much of his contracting work. Upon his return, Karen hosted a dinner at their house for Mark’s immediate family members, who all live in town or nearby: his brother Gerry is a local real estate agent; his sister Candace works at the local public high school; and his parents live in nearby Pittsfield. (Mark has one other sister, Renee, who lives in Colorado Springs.) These family members, who have lived in western Massachusetts for most of their lives, were relieved that Mark made it back safely from New York after the attacks.

Mark...