Pie

Alice is the protagonist of Pie. For the majority of the narrative, she is the 10-year-old daughter and only child of Ruth and George and the niece of Polly. Alice has been Polly’s favorite person since her birth. Because of the bond and devotion shared between them, Alice feels devastated by her aunt’s sudden death and wonders if she will ever be happy again. Compounding her grief is the constant, arbitrary criticism she feels from her mother. When Alice tries to stand up for herself, her father immediately tells her not to sass her mom.

Weeks characterizes Alice as a tween girl who hates boys, with the exception of Charlie, who develops into her best friend throughout the narrative. Her parents criticize Alice for having an overactive imagination. She is an independent thinker who is not afraid to test the validity of her hunches. In a broader sense, Alice embodies the innocent, stunned village of Ipswitch. Polly’s death unexpectedly confronts her—and all the local residents—with realities for which she feels totally unprepared. As she systematically faces these new difficulties, she discovers dependable support from an unexpected source—Charlie—as well as emotional resilience gained from Polly’s example.