Point of View

The author uses two first-person narrators. Alina narrates from the late 1930’s to present time as she tells the story of her great love for Tomasz. Her story is in past tense. Alina is a biased narrator because she is able to tell only what she knows about her situation. For instance, when Alina’s parents were still alive, she was not given much information about what was going on with the war. For that reason, Alina is unable to give many details about what happened during that time.

Alina’s first-person narration is important because it allows her to voice the ways she has changed and matured during her experiences in World War II. She describes the fear she felt as she traveled with Saul in the cramped crate to the Russian border. She also describes the desperation she felt when she bartered her...