Point of View

The entire story is written from the point-of-view of the main character, Gus Orviston. He tells all of the events that happened to him through his own eyes. In fact, even his birth is relayed to the reader from a story that his uncle Zeke Carper, his mother's brother, tells during Carper family reunions. When important characters like Eddy disappear from the novel for a time, Gus is as confused and lost as the reader as to when and if she will return or if he will see her again.

It is important that the point of view never leaves Gus in other aspects of the novel as well. When Gus is running from the Doberman attack dog, the reader truly wonders how the situation will unfold, and the horror of the situation is conveyed through Gus's descriptions. Had the novel switched to Ma grabbing her...