Perspective

"Tracks" is an autobiographical novel, a true account of Robyn Davidson's trek across the desert. Robyn tells her story in the first person, from the vantage point of having already experienced it. The book takes place in the late 1970s, in Australia, where the frontier is more like the American Old West. Robyn becomes aware of her audience, since her trip is sponsored by "National Geographic" magazine, and of the media circus surrounding her voyage, and she knows that many people see her as something superhuman. She wants her readers to take away the opposite lesson, saying, "If I could bumble my way across a desert, then anyone could do anything," (Chapter 11, p. 238). This humble point of view partially comes about because of Robyn's association with the Aboriginal peoples.

To say that Robyn Davidson's point of view changes throughout the book "Tracks" is an understatement. At the beginning...