Pie

Weeks precedes each chapter with the motif of an actual pie recipe along with preparation instructions. At the conclusion of the narrative, she gives credit to the 14 individuals who contributed these recipes. Polly offers handwritten asides about the specific pies after each recipe, for instance, noting which one is good enough to “eat off of the floor” (182). Subtly, the handwritten personal notes at the bottom of each recipe refer to story elements during the narrative and often set the stage for events occurring in the chapter. For instance, before Chapter 1, in which Polly dies, she lists her apple pie as her medical doctor’s favorite. Prior to Chapter 8, in which Alice and Charlie discover that their principal is an obsessive bodybuilder, the author includes a lemon chess pie recipe, observing that it is Miss Gurke’s favorite. The inclusion of the recipes before each chapter implies that Polly possesses profound insight into her fellow Ipswitch citizens. For example, Polly willed the pie shop itself to her minister, Rev. Flowers. She precedes Chapter 5 with the recipe for sour cherry pie, the minister’s favorite. In this chapter, someone trashes the minister’s newly acquired building, so the sour cherry recipe serves as a bittersweet consolation.