Point of View

Charlie tells her own story from the first person point of view. This point of view is ideal because it allows the reader to become emotionally close to Charlie. It feels as though Charlie is talking directly to the reader as a confidante, telling about her life as it happens. Charlie’s emotions are raw and real as she tries to deal with a life that is too much for her. The reader wants Charlie to succeed. However, at the same time, the reader knows Charlie well enough through her first-person narration to understand Charlie's emotional instability. There is a portion of the novel in which Charlie speaks directly to her reader, referencing him as “you” (69). This section, for instance, begins “You know, I know who I am” (69). She goes on to explain that everyone knows of a classmate who was like Charlie. This technique...