Point of View

The novel is written from a third-person subjective limited point of view, rotating through the perspectives of various Tull family members, starting with Pearl and then rotating amongst her children Ezra, Cody, Jenny, and her grandchild Luke.

The narration begins in each chapter at a certain point in time for its respective character, but then looks backward, and the reader is a witness to memory after memory connecting just as they do in one’s mind. Because the perspective varies from character to character, the same events are sometimes retold several times from that character’s vantage point.

Setting

Most of the novel centers on Baltimore, Maryland; however, some of the characters’ experiences take place elsewhere. Baltimore is the home place, where Pearl and Ezra always reside after Beck’s leaving. Cody escapes it completely and visits rarely. Jenny leaves but then returns there for...