November 9

“I wonder what kind of sound it would make if I were to smash this glass against the side of his head.

It’s a thick glass. His head is hard. The potential for a nice big THUD is there.”

November 9’s opening establishes how Fallon O’Neil feels about her father, former actor Donovan O’Neil. At this point, the reader doesn’t know who Fallon’s talking about or why, but it is clear that she harbors a great deal of anger for this person. As the novel continues, the reader learns that Fallon blames her father for the house fire that left her scarred and cost her her acting career. Donovan’s blunt way of speaking to Fallon and apparent loss of interest in her after she lost a starring role certainly don’t inspire faith in the teenager.

“The way it looks is something else. Like each of my flaws had been blanketed in pink highlights, put on display for the entire world to see. No matter how hard I try to hide them with my hair and clothes, they’re there. They’ll always be there. A permanent reminder of the night that destroyed all the best parts of me.”

Fallon describes her burn scars for the first time in this chapter. The scars have changed her life in several ways, including causing her to lose a starring role on television, look at her own body differently, and struggle in her relationship with her father.

“What the hell am I doing?

She’s moving to New York. It’s dinner. That’s it.

But seriously, what the hell am I doing? I shouldn’t be doing this.”

Ben questions himself as he prepares for dinner with Fallon not long after their first meeting. At first, it appears Ben is understandably nervous for a first date. He has a brief conversation with his older brother Kyle and rushes back to Fallon’s side, making it clear that his commitment to dinner is strong despite his doubt.