Point of View

Emma Straub tells her novel Modern Lovers from the point of view of a personal, but unknown narrator in the third-person, omniscient perspective. The narrator draws together the sometimes different and sometimes similar stories of six distinct primary characters –Ruby, Harry, Elizabeth, Andrew, Zoe, and Jane. The narrator acts as a unifying voice which serves as a bridge between their lives. The narrator is very personal and intimate toward readers, indeed even breaking the fourth wall to address readers, such as on page 155 in Chapter 31. The narrator thus draws readers directly in to experience the stories and the lives of the characters in the novel, personally investing readers by making them relevant as involved observers. The omniscient perspective of the novel matters greatly, as the narrator must constantly unveil to readers the unspoken thoughts and emotions of characters in the novel, thus granting readers direct...