Since I wrote the novel in 20 days and didn't spend much time going back to rework things, the opening is exactly as I first wrote it. I was actually echoing one of my very first Sedgewick stories when he gets off the bus as a child and we follow him home and listen in on his thought process. It actually made the beginning a lot easier to write, a lot easier to get back into Sedgewick's character.

But that doesn't mean it makes for a great opening. Effectively the opening is entirely character driven. You get a bunch of observations about life, and while interesting, I'm not sure that's the best hook. What do you think? Did the first chapter work? Were you hooked? Or did it take you longer to get really hooked?

I've always felt that chapter 3 is where the story really sinks its teeth into you. You get a lot of story movement with Sedgewick interacting with Connor, and then, of course, Allison is introduced. I've wondered if it'd be better to start with chapter 3 (maybe tweak things around a bit so we can still have the bus scene as an intro). Start with Sedgewick's interaction with Connor (which says just as much, if not more, about Sedgewick than following him home from the bus stop) and then introduce Allison.

Any thoughts? Any other ideas? Lay it on me.