Point of View

This novel is told from the first person point of view of Madeline, who is the main character in the novel. She describes her way of life as a SCID patient, describes the way she met Olly and the process through which they fell in love. The novel really would not work as well if it were told from any other point of view. No one else would have the deep insights into Maddy’s life as a SCID patient. A third person omniscient narrator could have been used but it would have created an emotional distance between the reader and Maddy.

Language and Meaning

This novel is unique in the way the author includes a variety of different ways to communicate information through various forms of language. Because Maddy is a SCID patient, she cannot have face-to-face relationships with many people. For this reason...