Point of View

The novel is written from multiple points of view. It opens with Ruth in the present tense, August 1952. Whenever Ruth is the character focused on, the novel is written in the first person point of view. The author’s use of the first person exclusively for the character of Ruth centers her as the protagonist of the story. It also renders her opinion the seemingly most reliable. At all times in Ruth’s sections, the reader is privy to her actions and conversations as well as her thoughts, opinions, and intentions.

The novel is also written in parts focusing on the stories of Iris, Lyudmila, and in one instance, Sasha. When the story revolves around these other characters, the reader gets inside information into their thoughts but from a third person limited perspective. This gives a little more distance between the reader and the character...