How to Kill Your Family

Kelly, Grace’s cellmate, loves the spoon Grace made in her mandatory spoon-making class, and Grace gives it to her. She’s carved the initials of each of her victims into the spoon, certain “nobody would look […] closely” enough to realize (87). Grace laments the lack of privacy in jail, especially with a cellmate like Kelly. She says that everyone just wants to gain knowledge to use as leverage over everyone else. Kelly is in prison for blackmailing married men with compromising pictures, and Grace believes she was caught because of her “limited intelligence.” Writing her own story makes Grace feel proud, especially when she reflects on her desire for justice. She reflects on moving in with the Latimers when she was 14, and how she never forgot she wasn’t part of the family because of how often she was told she was. She and Jimmy spent all their time together, and he understood her. Grace enjoyed the luxuries of her life but decided against college because she had other priorities.

Grace got a job at the local Sassy Girl, impressing her boss with her work ethic. She continued living with the Latimers for eight months after Jimmy left for college, before moving into her own flat.