Point of View

Each of the stories is recounted in the first person, past tense point of view - in other words, as though the narrator had the experiences he's describing and, in a turn of phrase that seems particularly relevant to this collection, has lived to tell the tale(s). This, as suggested at a couple of points in the collection, is a particularly important aspect of his experience - he has survived. This is perhaps a reason why the narrator (author?) feels that it's important for these stories to be told - as a cautionary tale about the dangers of drug use/addiction, and the alternatively positive side of the coin, of compassion and connection as a means of surviving not only addiction, but life in general. For further consideration of this particular aspect of the collection, see the analysis for Stories 3 ("Out on Bail") and 11 ("Beverly...