When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. When it healed, and Jem’s fears of never being able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury. His left arm was somewhat shorter than his right; when he stood or walked, the back of his hand was at right angles to his body, his thumb parallel to his thigh. He couldn’t have cared less, so long as he could pass and punt.
– Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 1. In the opening paragraph of the novel, narrator Scout creates suspence when she begins with her brother Jem’s broken arm. The answer as to what happened is not given until the very end of the story.