Point of View

The novel's narration is written in the third person and the past tense. Grace is the protagonist and point-of-view character. The narrator’s knowledge is limited to what Grace knows and experiences. However, the narrator tells the story from the perspective of the time after Grace has come to terms with what Jonathan has done and has moved on with her life. This perspective allows the narrator to warn the reader of the points in Grace’s story that are significant. For instance, when Grace looks at her cell phone and sees all of the messages from the Rearden mothers, the narrator indicates of Grace: “It would be the last moment of the life she would afterward think of as ‘before’” (102). Although Grace does not know the messages she will read will change her life, the reader has been forewarned that a change is coming...