March 20, 2002

March 20, 2002, marks both the last day of winter and the last night of Pal Maciver Junior’s life. The novel opens on this date, tying the seasonal threshold to the immediate suspense of a death only minutes away.

Calendar and Personal Significance

The date is identified as March 20, 2002, and described as winter’s final day. Its personal significance is stark: it is also the last night of Pal Maciver Junior’s life. The pairing makes the close of a season coincide with the end of a life, giving the opening its double sense of an ending.

The Opening-Night Encounter

With about fifteen minutes remaining, Pal is contemplating how strange death is. From the first-floor landing, he watches a woman enter through the open front door, trailing mist. She tries the light switch, finds that nothing happens, and calls his name. He considers her ability to draw a response from him, and regards this as a critical moment: her leaving would not ruin what he was trying to accomplish, but getting her to the house could be enough.

Narrative Role

The date anchors the opening in a narrow interval before Pal’s death, while the unanswered call and failed light switch make the house feel suspended between ordinary arrival and an extraordinary situation. The seasonal boundary reinforces that structure: the story begins at a point of passage, as winter ends and Pal’s remaining time runs out.