Point of View

The novel is told from the point of view of the narrator, who the reader eventually discovers is named Tess. The reader’s knowledge of what is going on in the restaurant is, therefore, intrinsically tied to what the narrator herself understands about her surroundings. The author uses this device to recreate some of the confusion and uncertainty felt by the narrator when she first begins working at the restaurant in the mind of the reader. Because the narrator is too scattered and stressed to learn anyone’s names or to get a handle on the wider world of New York, the reader’s understanding of the world of the novel is likewise narrowed. This also serves to focus attention onto Jake and Simone as the most significant characters at the restaurant. The narrator becomes fascinated with them early on and the lack of identifying...