Phoebe Walsh

Phoebe Walsh is the main character and narrator of the novel. She is 30 years old when the novel begins. She grew up in Florida with her parents and younger brother, Conner. She had an unhappy childhood because her parents were always fighting, and her father was emotionally volatile. He would snap about small things, so Phoebe always felt as if she had to walk on eggshells around him. When her parents finally decided to divorce, Phoebe was 13. They gave their children the option of who they wanted to live with. Phoebe moved out with her mother, while her younger brother stayed with their father.

Phoebe visited her father on the weekends until she made a joke about killing herself to her best friend, Alison. After that, she stopped visiting her father and her old friend. She moved away from her mother to go to college and entered...