Point of View

The novel’s narration is written in the past tense and the limited third person. The narrative adheres to only one character perspective at any given time. However, the perspective frequently shifts between characters, usually at chapter breaks. The narration conveys the characters’ respective thought processes and personalities in a detailed and immediate fashion, thereby creating strong contrasts and juxtapositions between the characters’ perspectives. Moreover, these perspectives and juxtapositions allow the reader to gain personal information about each character. For example, Alex is desperate to know more about Barbra and Victor’s relationship, but Barbra refuses to talk about her marriage. However, the reader does gain access to Barbra’s thoughts and memories via narration.

Also notable is the fact that, despite the conveyance of characters’ most personal thoughts and memories, some major aspects of the characters’ lives are still left ambiguous. This ambiguity furthers...