The Power of a First Sentence

I’m often struck by the opening sentence of a novel or short story. It can draw me in and set expectations for what’s to come. This isn’t always true, of course, but a story’s first line is the author’s opening salvo. It may be a “hook” or may operate on a more subtle level, if it does at all. The first sentence can foretell something about the story, or may set the tone for the entire work. Some first sentences have a magnetic power and draw me in, raising my curiosity, nearly forcing me to...