Point of View

The novel is written from Irene's point of view. The point of view is third person omniscient. The reader is allowed to know what Irene is doing and thinking. However, there are also elements of an unreliable narrator in this novel. Although Irene is an intelligent person who is not purposely trying to mislead the reader, there are portions of the novel in which Irene is unclear about the sequence of events. This happens several times, most notably when Irene attends a dance with her husband and Clare, as well as at the end of the novel when Clare falls from a window.

The point of view of this novel works well with the plot. The point of view allows the reader to build a sympathetic relationship with the main character, while taking into account Irene's opinions of other characters and judging them through her eyes...