Sissy/Jesse

Sissy is the only child of Cornelius and Lillian. Her Christian name is Lillian, but she abandons this name after her mother dies, and she eventually changes it to Jesse. While she is called numerous names in Part 1, she is mainly referred to as Sissy. The novel begins with Sissy’s childhood story and then moves progressively back in time to tell the story of multiple generations before her. The novel eventually ends back with Jesse as an adult attempting to reconcile her family history and her own personal psychology.

Sissy is the ultimate recipient of the trauma passed down through generations in her family. Her mother, Lillian, was traumatized by her father, Jack, as well as by the death of her sister, Blanche, at the hands of Sister Frances at the Indian boarding school they attend. This leads her mother to succumb to fits of rage...