Point of View

The novel is written from the main character Jarrett Krosoczka’s first person point of view. This means that the entirety of the narrative action is presented in Jarrett’s voice. The way that he sees and processes the world controls the narrative tone, mood, and atmosphere from beginning to end.

At the start of the novel, Jarrett begins his story in the narrative present. The reader understands that Jarrett is reflecting on his past because of the tense he uses and the images associated with his narration on the opening pages of the novel. “I was sixteen when I first worked at a camp for kids with life-threatening illnesses. It forever changed the trajectory of my life,” he opens the prologue (2). These lines, as well as Jarrett’s reflections on the ways the camp changed him over the years since his week at Camp...