Point of View

The story is narrated from the first person, past tense point of view – specifically, that of teenaged narrator Ari. This point of view draws the reader closely and tightly into Ari’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences, offering an opportunity to engage with the protagonist more intimately than third person narration might, something that is usually the case with other first person narratives. All that said, an important point to note about first person narration in general, and the narration of this book in particular, is that the experiences, attitudes, and perspectives of other characters are presented through Ari’s interpretation – the reader comes to know the other characters as a result of what Ari chooses to reveal about them, not in a fully objective way. The point is not made to suggest that his comments about the other characters are not valid, but rather to...