Point of View

Olga Dies Dreaming is written from the third person point of view. Throughout the novel, this third person narrator alternates between detailed descriptions of Olga Acevedo's, Prieto Acevedo's, and Dick Eikenborn's lives. Although the narrator divides her attention between these three characters, she follows Olga's internal and external experiences most closely. By taking this approach to point of view, the author is able to complicate her narrative structure and plot line. If the novel were limited to Olga's first person perspective, for example, the narrative would not have the same thematic depth and reach.

Because of the third person narrator's malleability, she is able to inhabit the primary character's consciousnesses, revealing their most secret vulnerabilities, misconceptions, and longings. For example, in "The Napkins," when describing Olga's cousin Mabel, the narrator slips into Olga's psyche and adopts her perspective saying: "Olga hated her cousin Mabel. Of...