Because Heidi feels so alone in the world, her first person narration has an intimate quality, as if she is confiding to the reader as a friend. Sometimes self-absorbed and sometimes wryly humorous, Heidi's down-toearth voice bridges the different social strata depicted in the novel. The tale is told in a straightforward manner, with a few minor flashbacks. A Christmas morning flashback to a happy holiday moment when she was six years old represents the safety and comfort of her childhood, which stands in opposition to the isolation of her teenage years.

Another flashback, recalling happy childhood experiences with her parents segues into a memory of the time she made a crank call to her father's then-girlfriend, which reveals some of the desperation Heidi felt when her family fell apart.

One of the central metaphors in the novel is Heidi's coat—"That Coat"—a...