Character Analysis
Raggedy Ann and... Lewis?
Grace's dad's name is Lewis. Her mom's nickname is “Rags” but we never hear her regular name. Ragu? Ragalicious? Raggedy Ann? For all we know, Grace doesn't even know her own mom's name. Grace's parents swoop into her life occasionally, but they don't really have any influence or control over their daughter. Grace even tells Olivia's brother, “I'm raising myself” (8.79).
Sam, a guy whose own parents tried to murder him, is very critical of Grace's parents. He describes them as “little brainless birds [...] so involved in the pleasure of nest building that they hadn't noticed that it had been empty for years” (31.60). Harsh, man. But it's true. Even though Grace is neat and orderly she lives in a cluttered home, mostly likely because of the constant whirlwind of chaos her parents always seem to be in.
By contrast, Grace lives in a “grown-up's room” (16.27). Since her parents are flighty children, Grace has to be the adult. She makes dinner, she does her own homework. The plus side to this is that it makes her independent. The negative is, without boundaries, is Grace really making the best decisions for her life? By “decisions” we mean, of course, obsessing over an animal and instantly falling in love with him when he turns out to be human.