Natalie

Natalie is one of the main characters in Victoria Patterson's short story "How to Lose", and we view the events from her perspective.

Natalie is the oldest of three sisters: “She was the youngest; I’m the oldest” (l. 85) and works from home as a web designer (l. 76). AJ briefly talks about the three sisters:“ ‘Mom used to say,’ he says, ‘that you were the responsible one, Aunt Caroline the ordinary one, and she – Mom – the bad one’” (ll. 119-121). Natalie does indeed seem to be the “responsible one”, as Caroline is not mentioned in the story and AJ is completely under the care of the oldest sister.

Natalie lives with her husband Phil and her nephew AJ in South California. It is implied that she cannot have children herself, despite trying medical treatment recently: “Usually she can predict her periods, but her body’s out of whack1 from the abandoned fertility treatments” (ll. 1-3). Her husband Phil ...