Point of View

The use of Point of View is one of the defining features of the novel. Rather than telling the story from the perspective of one central protagonist, or even from the perspective of several central characters who were all directly involved in the action of the narrative, the author chose to tell the story from the perspective of several family members as well as a series of strangers who encountered the family throughout their lives without ever actually knowing them. This has the effect of showing how different incidents can be interpreted differently and can hold different meaning for different people.

One example of different interpretations of the same action comes through the contrast of the characters of Lyn and Angela. The reader, and the Kettle family, naturally empathizes with Lyn as a kindhearted person and one of the main characters. However, Angela is a...