Point of View

Swimming Back to Trout River is written from an omniscient third person point of view. By writing the novel from this point of view, the author is able to access each of her main character's lives and experiences with fluidity. For example, in the first chapter, "Two Children of Trout River," the narrator shifts between Cassia and Junie's perspectives as they travel to, and after they arrive in Trout River. While Cassia and Junie are on the train at the start of the chapter, the narrator lives closest to Cassia's psyche. The narrator says, "She knew that if her husband Momo were here, he would never ignore these proddings...Momo was a believer in possibilities. That was the best thing about him, but also the worst" (4). Though these lines are written in the third person, they originate from Cassia's mind, rather than from the narrator's...