Point of View

The author writes the novel from a close third-person point of view, which follows Ree Dolly's life and consciousness. Because the narrator stays nearest Ree's experiences and thought processes, the narrative belongs largely to the 16-year-old's story. The novel is, therefore, not only a tale of family, of a community in the Ozarks, but is also one of self-discovery and coming-of-age. By writing from the third person point of view, rather than Ree's first person vantage, the author enacts Ree's work to find who she is and who she wants to be. The narrative perspective reflects the ways in which Ree feels she is straddling versions of herself. She not only understands her character by her surroundings and the expectations of her family history, but through her longings and desires for a life beyond these prescribed possibilities.

The narrator moves between these contrasting realms, shifting...