Point of View

The story is told from the first person point of view – specifically, from the perspective of twelve year old protagonist Summer. In general, the primary function / purpose of first person narrative is to draw the reader closer to the experience of the narrating character while, at the same time, filtering interpretations of the other characters through the narrator’s sensibilities. In other words, the reader comes to understand other characters as a result of what the narrator comes to understand about them. This general principle about first person narration applies to "The Thing About Luck".

The choice of first person perspective is significant on a couple of levels. First, it ties in with one of the novel’s central themes – its exploration of Summer’s “coming of age” and her coming to understand more of herself, her identity, and her relationships. Telling her story from...