It's an Incredibly Exciting Book, Despite the First Line

I don't know what I expect, but this doesn't pull me in. Thankfully, the rest of the story does, . . . and quickly.

"My most ancient memory is of a battlefield. I don't know where. Asia maybe. North Africa. A plain between the hills and the sea."

What's worse? It has nothing to do with the rest of the story. I feel a bit used because of it.