Point of View

Cynthia Bell tells her novel “Ruby” from the third-person omniscient perspective. This is done for at least two reasons. First, the third-person narrative mode allows the reader to switch between various characters, situations, and even time periods in the novel by uniting them all with one constant voice. This allows the author the ability to delve into the past as needed and to follow the lives of various characters in the novel. Secondly, the omniscient aspect of the novel gives the reader a bird’s eye view of everything going on, and privileges the reader with information that the characters themselves do not always know. For example, while Ephram knows there is a Dybou harassing Ruby, he does not know the true identity of the Dybou as his own father. Ephram, likewise, has no idea about his father’s dealings with black magic or his...