Contents
Before August
Overview
Via reflects on not remembering life before August and recognizes how being the first child shaped early family attention. Recounting family stories, she recalls initially comparing newborn August to her lifelike doll, Lilly, then swiftly bonding with him. This cements Via’s early devotion and frames the family dynamic around August.
Summary
Via opens by admitting she can’t remember life before August. Looking at old photos, she sees herself as the center of a young, happy family and the first grandchild, surrounded by relatives who dote on her. The images confirm a time when the household’s focus was solely on Via.
She doesn’t recall the day August came home, only the stories others tell. According to family accounts, Via studied the baby quietly and finally said, “It doesn’t look like Lilly,” referencing the realistic doll Grans had given her to practice big-sister duties.
The retellings agree that very soon—minutes by Grans’ memory, days by Mom’s—Via became affectionate and protective of August. From then on, she ignored Lilly entirely, signaling an immediate, enduring bond with her brother that would influence the family’s center of gravity.
Who Appears
- Via (Olivia) PullmanNarrator; recalls early childhood photos and family stories of meeting newborn August, quickly bonding with him.
- August PullmanNewborn in Via’s memories; becomes the focus of her affection, replacing her practice doll.
- Mom (Isabel Pullman)Appears in photos; recounts that Via took days to warm to August.
- Dad (Nate Pullman)Appears in photos as a young father during Via’s early years.
- GransGave Via the lifelike doll Lilly; claims Via bonded with August within minutes.