Point of View

The novel is told from the first-person perspective of Flynn Montgomery and narrated in the past tense. On the surface, the novel seems to be about Flynn's attempt to write a novel about working in the supermarket in his hometown of Baker City, Oregon. However, in Part II, it is revealed that Flynn is actually in a mental institution, and two years have passed since the events he is describing occurred. In that time, Flynn has been living in a loop, experiencing his time working at the supermarket on a loop. He is held mentally hostage by Frank, the alter ego protagonist he invented for his novel.

Flynn is a 24-year-old wise-cracking pop culture enthusiast with a chronic inability to finish what he started when the novel begins. The first half of the book is centered around his desperate need to complete his novel manuscript...