Point of View

Freshwater is told from three perspectives: the We, Ashguhara, and Ada herself. All three of these narrators speak in the first-person, telling their story in retrospect, and all three address the reader directly. The We function as the most authoritative narrative voice, for it is they who open the novel and inform the reader of the metaphysical backdrop against which the novel takes place. Indeed, between Ada, Ashughara, and the We, the We seem most connected to the divine other side: they know the personalities of the gods (they call the gods “absentminded,” demonstrating their familiarity with the divine), and know what actions will please or displease the gods (they call Ashguhara a “fool” for interfering with the gods’ will). In this way, the We’s narrative voice serves to orient the reader throughout the novel, for it provides the background information necessary to understanding...