Point of View

Jewell divides The Family Upstairs into three different perspectives in order to fill in the plot's gaps that would otherwise be left hanging wide open. Libby and Lucy both have their own third-person narrative chapters which are set in the present part of the story. This allows the reader to follow their actions and witness their character developments from an external perspective. While Jewell keeps these two characters from iterating any direct thoughts in the narration, the author does have each of these women reflect on the traumas from their pasts and how that has impacted them up to the present day. It does limit the emotional attachment the reader might have with these characters, but Jewell uses these passages to show the reader what is happening versus having a first-person narrator tell them.

Henry takes over the story in his first-person narrative chapters. In...