Alice Whitley

Alice is the novel's narrator. She works for Isaac and goes to Mimi's to help with things while Mimi writes her book. She takes care of Frank during her time there, becoming what she calls a "proxy Mimi" and is often being mistaken by strangers for Frank's mother. She has an affair with Xander. At the end of the novel, she returns to New York. As the narrator, she is the one who unwinds everyone's stories for the readers.

Alice is from the Midwest and is organized and competent, yet she is also insecure. She talks about her mother a lot, but her mother is dead. Her father left the family when she was 8 years old. She is lost, working at dead-end jobs until Isaac finds her. When she goes to Mimi's, she expects to sweep in and take charge. She is met by a situation that...