Point of View

Lost Roses features four first-person narratives. The majority of the novel alternates between the perspectives of Sofya, Eliza, and Varinka, with Luba's perspective featured in the Prologue and Epilogue. Sofya, Eliza, Luba, and Varinka are reliable narrators; each character presents their thoughts and reflections transparently, establishing themselves as trustworthy to the reader. The combination of narrators chosen by Kelly has the effect of conveying the Russian Revolution from multiple angles, providing an in-depth look at the conflict.

The Prologue and Epilogue occur in Luba's perspective, which ties Sofya's and Eliza's points of view together to establish a definitive beginning and end. As Luba is the sister of Sofya and a friend of Eliza, she establishes a connection between the two protagonists in the Prologue and concludes their interrelated storylines in the Epilogue. Luba's perspective in the Prologue is that of a child, while her final...