The Red Pyramid

“Sadie hadn’t changed much either since last summer.

[As I’m recording this, she’s standing next to me, glaring, so I’d better be careful how I describe her.]

You would never guess she’s my sister. First of all, she’d been living in England so long, she has a British accent. Second, she takes after our mom, who was white, so Sadie’s skin is much lighter than mine. She has straight caramel-colored hair, not exactly blond but not brown, which she usually dyes with streaks of bright colors. That day it had red streaks down the left side. Her eyes are blue. I’m serious. Blue eyes, just like our mom’s. She’s only twelve, but she’s exactly as tall as me, which is really annoying. She was chewing gum as usual, dressed for her day out with Dad in battered jeans, a leather jacket, and combat boots, like she was going to a concert and was hoping to stomp on some people. She had headphones dangling around her neck in case we bored her.

[Okay, she didn’t hit me, so I guess I did an okay job of describing her.]”

These lines represent Carter’s perspective the first time Carter and Sadie see each other in the book, and they show a couple of things. First, they offer a glimpse of how Carter and Sadie have grown apart since they were separated eight years ago. Carter describes Sadie in generic terms that lack the emotions (positive or negative) siblings might have for one another. This quote also shows how The Red Pyramid is told as an audio transcription. The bracketed text is an aside to the reader, delivering information not part of the story but still from the point-of-view character.

“‘Ah! Your son, obviously, and—’ The curator looked hesitantly at Sadie. ‘And this young lady?’

‘My daughter,’ Dad said.

Dr. Martin’s stare went temporarily blank. Doesn’t matter how open-minded or polite people think they are, there’s always that moment of confusion that flashes across their faces when they realize Sadie is part of our family. I hate it, but over the years I’ve come to expect it.”

Here, Carter, Sadie, and their father meet with the curator of the British Museum. This passage shows how deeply rooted the idea that families must look alike is ingrained in society. The curator has no problem figuring out that Carter is Julius’s son because both men are Black and of similar build and appearance. By contrast, Sadie presenting as white causes cognitive dissonance for the curator because she doesn’t look like her father and brother. Carter’s reaction shows how common such assumptions are, how hurtful they can be to families who don’t match society’s image of a family, and the inherent bias this image causes.