Point of View

The novel is written from the main character Nan O’Dea’s first person point of view. From the outset of the novel, the author complicates this deceptively simple narrative perspective by casting Nan as an unreliable narrator. Indeed, Nan begins her account with the revelation that “A long time ago in another country, I nearly killed a woman” (3). Though Nan describes the joy of this murder attempt, just a few paragraphs later, she insists that she has regrets, because “Anyone who says I have no regrets is either a psychopath or a liar. I am neither of those things” (4, de Gramont’s italics). Therefore, the reader is immediately unsure how to regard Nan’s voice and interpret her version of events. Nan acknowledges her awareness of the reader’s suspicions just a few pages later, employing the direct address and saying: “You may well...