The End of Alice

The End of Alice is a 1996 novel by American writer A. M. Homes. It was published in the United States by Homes Scribner and in the United Kingdom by Anchor UK.

The story is narrated mostly by a middle-aged pedophile and child killer who is serving a life sentence. He receives correspondence from a 19-year-old girl who plans to seduce a 12-year-old neighborhood boy. The child killer encourages her and gives her tips on seducing children. He delights in the girl's letters detailing her progress. The scenes involving the girl (who is never named) are written from a third-person perspective.

When the novel opens, a pedophile and child murderer – identified only as "Chappy" – has been in prison for 23 years. (He narrates most of the novel, including accounts of his treatment by his unstable, emotionally and sexually abusive mother.) Now in his 50s and with a parole hearing approaching, Chappy tells of receiving a letter from an unnamed 19-year-old girl who takes a morbid interest in his case. She tells him that she is on summer holiday from college and plans to seduce a 12-year-old boy named Matthew, who lives in her neighborhood.

As the girl corresponds with Chappy, he recounts his past, contrasting events in his life with the explicit details given by the girl of how she seduces Matthew. The boy is portrayed as typical, with many of the unattractive habits a 12-year-old can have, plus a few uniquely disgusting ones. Chappy encourages the girl, and she soon accomplishes her goal. First she gives Matthew tennis lessons. On another occasion, while caring for him as a sitter, she strips naked and gives him a quick hands-on lesson in feminine biology. The pair soon have sex and continue to do so on regular occasions.

Chappy eagerly reads the girl's letters as she describes her successes. He berates her for her poor grammar and for her liberal use of exclamation points. He recounts several scenes of prison sex.

During the novel, Chappy refers frequently to "Alice," his 12-year-old victim, with whom he had a sexual relationship. He provides more details about the girl only toward the end of the book. At the very end of the story, during his parole hearing, it is revealed that the convict brutally murdered and decapitated the girl after they argued. She blamed him for bleeding; it was the start of her period. He tried to explain to her what was happening to her, but she kept threatening to kill him, and he finally overpowered her.

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