Point of View

The novel is told from the first person point of view of Maria. Throughout the novel, Maria analyzes and ponders the events she found herself to be a part of in her infatuation with the Desverns. Because of this narration style, the events of the novel are told entirely from one perspective, allowing a deep understanding of the character of Maria but only a secondhand understanding of the other characters.

In her infatuation with the Desverns and later with Javier, Maria may have presented a biased depiction of the events of the novel. Throughout the story, Maria attempted to understand and even rationalize the action of Javier, as she felt an obsessive love for him. When Maria overhead Javier speak of the murder of Miguel, she had a hard time believing the story could be true, as she was deeply infatuated by the man at...