Point of View

Much of the book is told in the third person, from Ryan’s perspective. Daniel Bergner deeply delves into Ryan’s perspectives throughout childhood and adulthood. Additionally, Bergner also sometimes includes Valerie’s and Adrian’s perspectives. He also includes the perspectives of various teachers and voice experts and even Mr. Brown’s sister. In this way, Bergner includes a variety of perspectives. His profession as a journalist may have trained him on how to interview a broad variety of people and include a vast variety of diverse perspectives.

Since so much of the story is told from Ryan’s perspective--it is his biography--Ryan is a character whom the reader might perceive as completely innocent. Other characters, such as Valerie and Cecil, might sometimes appear innocent and at other times appear culpable, but even though Ryan makes mistakes, he still seems innocent since the reader...