Point of View

Bowen employs two different points of view in this novel. Hugo’s portions of the story are told from the point of view of a third person narrator from the perspective of Hugo. Hugo only knows what he experiences and the information that Sofia brings him from the village. Joanna’s portions of the story, however, are told from the first person point of view. The reader gets a very close emotional look at Joanna’s thoughts, emotions, and reactions from this point of view.

The differing points of view give the reader a feeling of being closer to Joanna both emotionally and physically. Joanna’s first persona narration makes her feel real and present while he father’s third-person narration portions of the story make him seem distant. Both Joanna and Hugo’s portions of the novel are narrated in the past tense but...