Point of View

Bittersweet is told from the first person narrative point of view. This means that the author tells the story directly in the words of the protagonist, Mabel. As the narrator, Mabel uses the pronoun of "I" throughout because the story is being told just as she sees it or experiences it. With the first person narrative point of view, the reader has access to the thoughts and feelings of the narrator only. What is going on in the heads of any other people in the story is only speculative as the reader does not have the privilege of seeing them.

As Mabel goes from present day to flashbacks in the story, she still maintains the first person narrative point of view. The story is hers, and the reader will learn only what the author wants him or her to learn. The first person narrative point...