Point of View

A.J. Banner tells her novel The Good Neighbor in the first-person limited-omniscient perspective from the point of view of main character and principal protagonist, Sarah Phoenix. This is done for several reasons. First, Sarah is the intended victim of the arsonist’s attack, and so comes to tell her own story, especially given the duplicity, uncertainty, and lies that surround her on all sides. Second, the reader is given intimate insight into Sarah’s innermost thoughts, feelings, and considerations, which matters greatly because Sarah must hide all these things from those around her because she loses her trust, faith, and belief in all those people and things (like her marriage) that she thought she could trust. The reader thus gains the exceptional position as a confidante when Sarah speaks of such things to no one else. Third, the limited-omniscient aspect comes from the fact...