Point of View

"Calling Me Home" is told in a first-person point of view from both Dorrie Curtis and Isabelle McAllister. The chapters alternate between the two women, as Dorrie tells her story in modern-day and Isabelle tells her story from 1939-1943. Toward the end of the novel, Isabelle's story moves from 1943 to modern day, though the information she gathers at Pearl's funeral is from long ago.

The value of the alternating first-person point of view for the reader is the ability to fully understand each woman's story as she sees it. Dorrie's and Isabelle's stories have similar underlying tones even though they take place decades apart. By alternating between the two, the author shows the similar components between the two women and their stories. Dorrie is learning lessons from Isabelle's story as she tells it.

Language and Meaning

"Calling Me Home" is alternatively written from the modern-day...