What is an example of an effective opening to a story? What makes it an effective opening?

Mother died today. Or maybe, yesterday; I can’t be sure. 

Meursault from The Stranger

The opening of The Stranger is a word of the main character, Meursault in the novel. The tone and the short phrases in the opening shows the indifference of Meursault towards the death of his mother. He didn’t express any remorse upon learning about the death of his mother and it seems that the only thing he thought about was the date of his mother died. The opening acts as a hook, makes the readers wonder what causes the strange behaviour and personality of the character and if the character changed as the plot develops. The opening attracts readers to find out more this it is very effective.

At the same time, the opening is also effective since it hints the main conflict and themes of the whole book. For instance, Meursault’s words in the opening shows his difficulty of relationships and his indifference towards humanity, which are also the major conflicts in the story. Including these ideas in the opening makes a story clear in the main ideas the writer is going to explore or convey.