Point of View

The story is told from the point of view of the third person, omniscient narrator and the focus is primarily on the events involving Pinmei and her grandmother, Amah. There are also chapters focused on the struggles of the Black Tortoise of winter. Within some chapters, there are secondary stories written as if they were narrated by either Pinmei or Amah, which are also told from the third person point of view. Each view point allows Lin to tell the story of Pinmei's adventures and both Amah's and the Black Tortoise of Winter's time in captivity in parallel until the stories merge in the climax. All three characters are present during the final moments when Pinmei faces off against the emperor, and because Pinmei is the protagonist and the novel is primarily focused on her growth from a timid young girl to a strong, independent...