Point of View

This novel is told from the third-person omniscient perspective. This means that the narrator is not a character in the story and, therefore, can see any character at any time and understand their thoughts. This narrative style helps the reader to better make sense of the many characters and the inner-workings of many different relationships that are being described. For example, the reader gets both Howard and Kiki’s perspectives on their marriage, thus creating an even more rich and complicated portrait of their relationship.

Occasionally, the author chooses to focus on the inner-workings of a character who is not central to the main plot. This occurs with characters like Claire Malcolm or Katie Armstrong, and provides both a respite from the inner-workings of the main characters, as well as new perspectives on the course of events. Both Claire and Katie provide illumination to the...