Charlie is the first-person narrator of Girl in Pieces, which follows her journey of recovery after attempting suicide. She is an unreliable narrator in that her emotional state and abilities to assess people and situations are unreliable.

A series of traumatic events of increasing severity marked Charlie’s childhood and adolescence, leaving her feeling friendless and isolated, without parental guidance. In part, Charlie’s perceptions are accurate. Her mother, Misty, knows that it would be unhealthy for Charlie if they lived together, but Misty secretly keeps tabs on Charlie through Mikey. Charlie’s friends are more loyal than she may believe them to be. Though Mikey does not want a romantic relationship, he is earnest in his desire to help Charlie, buying her a ticket to join him in Arizona and repeatedly offering practical support. Evan, though too troubled to help her, continually checks on her, showing that she matters to him. Linus takes care of Charlie when her life falls apart, and Blue steps in with financial and emotional support in the aftermath of Louisa’s suicide. Ariel tries to help Charlie, though she ignores her, and at the end of the novel, Felix offers Charlie a job.

Charlie’s main struggle throughout the story is to find her