Summary
The book begins in a trailer park in Lee County, Virginia. Demon describes the circumstances of his birth. He says that his mother passed out in the bathroom and he slid out of her, onto the floor. He is picked up by their neighbors, the Peggots, who watch this all unfold. He says his mother was a foster kid and recovering addict. He adds that his father died when he was born, supposedly from a car accident, but that he has his copper-colored hair. He shows an early interest in drawing. He spends a great deal of time over at the Peggots' house, playing with Emmy and Maggot, their two young grandchildren.
Things are relatively fine at home until Demon’s mother starts dating a man nicknamed Stoner. He is a bald beer-delivery-truck driver who she meets while working at WalMart. He dislikes Demon and frequently remarks that he isn’t disciplined enough. He is constantly making Demon do household chores and berating him. Demon wishes his mother would break up with Stoner, but she seems to love him a great deal and is largely focused on their relationship. He often feels that his mother is a somewhat absent figure in his life.
Demon’s mother drops him off at the Peggots' house and goes away with Stoner for a few weeks. Demon is happy with them. They go to an aquarium together and Demon comforts Emmy when she gets scared at a shark exhibit. He develops a significant crush on her and they become very close. Demon’s mother returns and he learns she has married Stoner. Things continue to be tense at home. At one point Stoner grabs Demon and Demon bites him. As these conflicts escalate, Demon feels more and more angry and anxious at home, sensing that he is an unwanted presence, in Stoner's eyes. He also learns that his mother is pregnant.
Demon's life changes abruptly after a dramatic incident. Demon’s mother overdoses and she is sent to a long-term rehabilitation facility. Stoner doesn’t want to raise him, and out of malice he also makes a formal complaint against the Peggots so they can’t legally take him. He is placed in the foster care system. This results in him being sent to a farm run by an old man named Crickson. He says that his caseworker, Miss Barks, is young, beautiful, and optimistic. She continually puts a positive spin on things, but he knows things are about to be hard.
Demon quickly learns that Crickson is only interested in taking in foster boys to use them for free child labor on his tobacco farm. Demon spends his days working in the field. He also learns that all the other boys look up to an older boy nicknamed Fast Forward. Fast Forward is popular because he is charming and is on the local football team. He is able to convince people to do just about anything, including take his punishments and give them their lunch money. He also gives them drugs on occasion.
Demon has periodic visits with his mother at a McDonald’s, supervised by Miss Barks. The visits are often awkward, as she expresses a hope for their future that Demon does not share, in his current miserable state. Demon provides an overview of work at the tobacco farm, describing the hard work and long hours. At first he isn’t told to wear gloves and becomes violently ill from the nicotine exposure, throwing up for hours after.
Demon befriends a boy named Tommy at the farm. He says repeatedly that Tommy is incredibly sweet and selfless. He spends the summer working the farm, feeling incredibly exhausted by the effort. He notices Tommy walking over to two mounds on the edge of the field. Tommy lays flowers on the mounds. He says that before he goes to bed that night, he asks Tommy what those mounds are. Tommy tells him that he doesn't know where his parents are buried, so every time he is in a new foster home, he makes graves for them.
Analysis
Poverty is a key theme in this part of the book, as Demon is born into constant financial insecurity. His mother has a low-paying job at Wal-Mart and is forced to raise him alone after his father dies before he is born. With few options, he grows up with extremely limited means. These struggles with money make Demon’s home life tense, as his mother has little in the way of comfort to provide him. It is an important part of the book, as their financial instability makes it difficult for Demon to have a stable or normal childhood. Demon observes this in the lives of the children around him, like Emmy, Maggot, and Tommy, all of whom are forced to deal with harsh financial realities from a young age. This part of the book shows how this level of poverty has such a pervasive impact on Demon from the moment he is born. It limits his options and leaves him at the mercy of a mean tobacco farmer, a cruel stepfather, and an uncaring state.
Community is another theme in this part of the book. As his mother is frequently absent from his life, Demon becomes close with his neighbors, the Peggots. They take him in when his mom goes off with Stoner and also visit him at the tobacco farm. Despite not being related to them by blood, and being in effect another burden on their limited resources, Demon is welcomed into their home because he is part of their community. They provide a limited safety net for him in difficult times. Here, the book shows the impact of community on Demon's life, as it gives him something to hold onto in the absence of stability at home. While Demon's mom is often absent and Stoner is explosive and wrathful, the Peggots provide him with a semblance of normalcy and care. This becomes increasingly vital as the book goes on.
Addiction is another important theme in this first section. Demon's mother is an addict and struggles with drugs for all of her life. She is in and out of rehab for many years and seems to go through cycles of sobriety and relapse. This comes to a head when she overdoses and is hospitalized. The book portrays the cyclical nature of her addiction as a way of showing its complexity. She is able to stop using, but she struggles to stay clean for extended periods of time. She wants to be a supportive and loving mother, but is limited by her severe addiction. It also shows the wide-reaching impact of her struggle, as her issues directly result in Demon being placed in foster care and also being exposed to drugs.
Charity also plays a major role in these chapters. Demon quickly discovers that the charity of strangers is not a simple thing. Miss Barks wants to do what she can for him. She tries to speak in a constantly positive tone, but is unable to bring Demon to a happy, stable home environment. Similarly, Demon quickly discovers that Crickson only has foster children so he can exploit them for free labor. What briefly appears to be charity is actually self-interest. In both cases, Demon finds that some people want to help him, but can't or claim to be helping him, but are actually just using him. This pattern recurs throughout the novel, as Demon finds out how rare truly selfless charity actually is.
This part of the book shows Demon's early struggles and establishes most of its primary themes. Facing economic pressure and a volatile home life, Demon is forced to make do with his circumstances. He is uniquely helpless in this part of the book, as he notes, because he is a child and is essentially at the mercy of the adults around him, almost none of whom have his interests in mind. The main solace he finds is with the Peggots, who are kind to him without having an ulterior motive.
