Point of View

The entire novel is told from the point of view of an omniscient narrator. The neutral narrator knows all and sees all. And since the overriding theme of the novel is Lily Mollahan's journey of discovery during a time of international conflict, the omniscient narrator is able to alert the reader to situations of which Lily is unaware. Additionally, since the novel is told from the perspective of an omniscient narrator, the reader is given an opportunity to consider broader questions which underlie the narrative proper; including questions of truth, displacement, armed conflict and the general importance of home and family. And while it is true that the novel's action primarily revolves around Lily, it is the omniscient narrator's voice which provides the thread that runs through the story.

In this novel, there is a fair amount of dialogue, with minimal space devoted to lengthy descriptive...