“Telling this story will be painful. In fact, I do not know if I can tell it truthfully, though I’ll try. I have been a liar all my life, you see. It’s not uncommon in our family.”

Carrie relates the story of her life to the ghost of her deceased son, Johnny. Before she begins, she warns Johnny and the reader that she is an unreliable narrator. As her story unfolds, the reader is meant to keep this original warning in mind, and it becomes especially important at the end of the narrative when Carrie reveals that she was the one who murdered Pfeff, not her sister, Bess. While the revelation may come as a surprise, Carrie has warned readers from the beginning that she is not a trusted source of truth.

“I was there for my sisters, but we dealt with our feelings about Rosemary alone. Here in the Sinclair family, we keep a stiff upper lip. We make the best of things. We look to the future. These are Harris’s mottoes, and they are Tipper’s, as well.” 

In the aftermath of their youngest sister Rosemary’s death by drowning, Carrie laments that her family refuses to process their traumatic loss. Carrie states that while she was there for her sisters in their time of need, the family expected everyone to deal with their emotions and feelings of loss alone, without seeking help or support from others. These expectations are passed down from their parents, Harris and Tipper, who establish a firm code of conduct that the girls must abide by, which includes keeping a “stiff upper lip” and refusing to dwell on the past.