Point of View

The novel is narrated in the first-person, alternating from the perspective of Olivia, Asher’s mother, and Lily, Asher’s deceased girlfriend he is accused of murdering. Picoult and Boylan do not place any limitations on the access to either character’s inner thoughts, allowing the reader to understand each person’s true motivations, fears, and conflicts as they must finally face the consequences of their choices.

Olivia is often a sympathetic character because her selflessness and struggles are seen. She wanted to create a new life for Asher away from his abusive father. Still, she is always unsure whether she succeeded and begins to question whether this is even possible when she fears Asher was violent with his girlfriend. Picoult does not hold back the explicit reality of intimate partner violence and emotional abuse in the interest of making the novel easier to digest...