Narrator

The unnamed first person narrator is the main character of the novel. At the start of All-Night Pharmacy, the narrator is 18 years old. She has “just graduated high school” and plans “to do two years at Valley College and transfer to UCLA” (4). However, after her older sister Debbie introduces her to the bar Salvation “as a graduation present,” the narrator’s goals for the future are quickly derailed (4). Throughout her life, the narrator has relied upon her sister. Unlike her, Debbie is confident, assured, fearless, and charismatic. By way of comparison, the narrator is more reserved, hesitant, and fearful. She often dislikes spending time with her sister, because Debbie not only has a habit of pressuring her to do things that make her feel uncomfortable, but often badgers, ridicules, humiliates, or abandons her.

The more time that the narrator and Debbie spend together, the less confident the narrator...