Point of View

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is written through the first-person points of view of the Ramirez women, Nina, Jessica, Dolores, and Ruthy. The author chooses to oscillate between the first-person lenses of the four characters in order to grant the reader access to the internal thoughts and emotions of each of the women in the family. While Jessica, Nina, and Dolores share common experiences in the narrative present, their interpretation and personal stakes in the situation vary. By way of example, when Nina moves back to Staten Island and is living with Dolores, she feels frustrated with Dolores for overperforming motherhood. Conversely, through the first-person lens, the reader learns that Dolores feels frustrated that her daughters do not respect her. While they are living in the same house and sharing a physical space, Nina and Dolores experience their family, work, and identity in divergent manners...