Point of View

A Haunting on the Hill is written from both the first and third person points of view. The majority of the novel is guided by Holly Sherwin’s first person perspective. However, intermittent chapters arise in the third person limited perspective. In these latter sections, the third person narrator alternates between inhabiting Nisa’s, Stevie’s, and Amanda’s consciousnesses, and presenting the narrative world according to how they see it. These chapters nuance Holly’s otherwise domineering and authoritative point of view and enact the novel’s overarching thematic explorations of individuality versus the collective.

Holly’s first person sections of the novel capture Holly’s distinct character traits and perception of reality. Amidst an argument in Chapter 65, Nisa tells Holly, “You’re wrong, Holly. Just once, I’d love you to admit that you’re wrong” (247). Nisa’s words compel Holly to recognize...