Point of View

Janet Fitch's White Oleander is told in the first person from the point of view of Astrid Magnussen. As she grows from twelve to eighteen in the foster care system, we experience everything through her. We feel her complicated feelings for her beautiful but cruel mother and her anxiety as she sees her mother's relationship with Barry Kolker taking a dark turn. We feel her numbness in the days of her mother's arrest and trial. As she moves from one foster home to another, we learn about the various people, their strengths and shortcomings through Astrid's sensitive eyes.

Astrid is a well-drawn character, and she sounds mature even when she is only twelve. By the time she is eighteen, it is hard to believe her still so young, because she sounds so wise in the ways of life.

Setting

Most of the story takes place in...