Within Arm's Reach

Gracie Leary is one of the main protagonists of the novel. She is the oldest daughter of Louis and Kelly Leary, the oldest McLaughlin grandchild, and Lila’s older sister. Gracie is a skilled 29-year-old writer who enjoys learning and sharing people’s stories. This led to her to start working at The Bergen Record, Ramsey’s newspaper company. She enjoys learning stories about her grandmother, Catharine, especially. She takes comfort in hearing the story of her loss of the twins because it shows her that her family continued to live and love even after suffering such horrible tragedies. She is closest to Catharine, remaining close to her even after her other family members distance themselves from her after her out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Gracie shares her maternal grandparents’ abilities to see visions, seeing a vision of her unborn daughter as a toddler.

Gracie developed a strong interest in boys as a teenager and she says she “couldn’t think of anything but how to get one, and once I got one, what to do with him” (85). This led her to have sex with a boy in her parents’ house at 15 and then start having sex regularly, starting at 16. She has difficulty committing to a relationship and admits that she has ended relationships so she can continue having casual sex with strangers, which excites her.