The Summer Pact

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, death by suicide, racism, and substance use.

Hannah is a protagonist and one of the three narrators of the novel. The Prologue and Epilogue are told from her point of view, and this gives her the role of being a witness and commenter as she determines the shape of the story. Also, it is Hannah’s crisis that precipitates the plot and action of the central storyline, so in a way, she is the narrative pivot of the novel, even while Summer holds the emotional center.

Hannah is an only child, raised by wealthy, white parents in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. She has a wholesome, girl-next-door vibe: She is blonde, blue eyed, and conventionally pretty. Her deepest ambition for her life is to get married and have children whom she can nurture. Part of this wish to nurture stems from Hannah’s difficult relationship with her mother. Hannah describes her mother, Mrs. Davis, as a narcissist, and her actions show that she is very concerned about appearances and other people’s opinions, at the expense of Hannah’s feelings or interest in her as a person.