Point of View

The novel’s narration is written in the first person and the past tense. Phoebe is the novel’s narrator and the only point-of-view character. The entire novel is narrated from Phoebe’s perspective. Thus, Phoebe is the only character whose thoughts are conveyed directly to the reader, and the reader never possesses information that Phoebe does not possess. This perspectival mode distinctly ties the reader’s experience of the story to Phoebe’s. Moreover, the gradual reveal of the mystery—and of related elements such as the Rabbits and Bears—is enabled by Phoebe’s own process of discovery and exploration. Additionally, Phoebe’s perspective is significant in that her fixation on American politics helps the novel build its own narrative and thematic parallels to American political tensions.

Although the story is told specifically from Phoebe’s perspective, the novel still uses juxtapositions between...