Point of View

The point of view in the novel is a very close third-person that sticks tight to Mark’s perspective. Everything that happens in the story is filtered through Mark, and we never experience anything that Mark does not experience. This tight lens is claustrophobic and designed to mimic grief itself. Mark is hyper-focused on the tragedy that is his life, so much so that he cannot see or focus on anything else at all, much like that narrative perspective is hyper-focused on Mark himself. The tight focus on Mark allows for a number of reoccurring thoughts and scenes that mimic the thought process and the way memory itself works. No other perspectives are ever offered, and so we are left to guess at the motivations and thoughts and intentions of the other characters, especially Alison and Chloe.

Language and Meaning

The language of the novel...