Point of View

There are a variety of points of view used in this novel. Chapters 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 are narrated by an omniscient third person narrator. The remainder of the chapters are narrated from the first person point of view. Each of these four chapters is narrated by one of the four Blair siblings. Chapter 3 is narrated by Robert, Chapter 5 by Rebecca, Chapter 7 by Ryan and Chapter 9 by James.

The use of two different points of view is significant because the reader sees how the family members interact with one another from the point of view of a third person narrator and from the point of view of each of the children. The chapters narrated by the children give the reader a individualized look at each of the children’s relationships with their parents and with each other.

Language and Meaning

The language of this novel is fairly straightforward...