Point of View

The novel is written from the main character Moth's first person point of view. Because Moth is a ghost, her narrative vantage point offers a distinct entrance into the narrative world. Indeed, her narrative voice is often ethereal and creates a haunting narrative atmosphere. In the early sections of the novel, the reader interprets Moth's nostalgic and troubled voice as a symptom of the recent trauma she has undergone. In the section "When I Lived in New York City," for example, Moth explains, "I only ever felt at home / when moving / under the stage lights. / When moving I could fly, / but after the accident that split / our car like a candy bar, / I gave up movement, / so sometimes I feel less alive" (9). Moth attributes her feelings of dislocation to her family's deaths and her subsequent inability to keep dancing. Because she does not feel as...