Point of View

Swing Time represents Smith's inaugural use of the first-person perspective. The unnamed protagonist provides her personal experiences and opinions throughout the novel, ruminating on both her childhood and her time working as an assistant for the pop star Aimee. The narrative is delivered in a memoir format, with the narrator stating that she is attempting to unpack and analyze the events of her life in order to understand it. This point of view is essential in advancing in the novel's theme regarding identity -- the novel itself represents the narrator's final attempt to understand herself by examining the events of her life.

Furthermore, the first-person point of view allows the reader insight into the narrator's thought processes and reactions, which helps fulfill the bildungsroman format of the novel. By presenting her reaction to many formative events, the narrator creates a comprehensive picture of her personal...