Summary

Chapter 1 opens in northern Vermont, at a small liberal arts college called Ripley College. The college has shrunk over the years and has closed many of its math and science departments, instead focusing on liberal arts. The school’s creative writing MFA program is one of its few remaining departments. One of the faculty members is Jacob Finch Bonner. Jacob is in his early thirties. When Jacob was in his mid-twenties, his first novel—The Invention of Wonder—was published to much acclaim. However, he has been unable to produce a second novel that publishers have been interested in purchasing. Jacob loves stories, and his only goal in life is to be a successful writer. He even adopted the middle name Finch as an homage to the first book he ever loved: To Kill a Mockingbird.

In Chapter 2, Jacob attends the annual cookout attended...