Point of View

The novel is told from the point of view of a seemingly omniscient narrator. The narrator uses each chapter as an opportunity to enter into the consciousness of a different character. Irene, Laura, Theo, Carla, and Miriam all have their minds and hearts explored by the narrator on a nearly even rotating basis. Irene’s perspective both ends and begins the novel in the prologue and epilogue, which gives her character a slight advantage in terms of importance when compared against the other characters. However, the novel is truly meant to be an ensemble piece in which every character’s perspective carries equal weight.

In addition to the traditional narration, there are about a dozen chapters that end with excerpts from Theo’s novel, The One Who Got Away. At first, the book is introduced as an old paperback that Irene picks up and quickly...