What is the author's style in Looking for Mr. Goodbar by Judith Rossner?

The point of view of the novel Looking for Mr. Goodbar is a third person narrative limited to the character of Theresa Dunn. Through the majority of the novel the reader is allowed into the mind of Theresa Dunn, her thoughts and feelings, her actions and those of the people around her; however, the reader is not allowed into the thoughts of the supporting characters. The exception is the beginning of the novel where the writer has presented the confession of Theresa's killer Gary. This section of the novel is written in first person where the narrator is not a part of the action.

Much of the novel is told through Theresa's thoughts and feelings and through her impressions of the events around her. In this way the reader can see how Theresa grows less innocent and becomes more and more enveloped in this lifestyle of uncommitted sexual relationships. At the beginning the reader knows that Theresa will eventually be murdered and may form his or her own opinions about how this may come about. However, through the course of the story thanks to insight in Theresa's confused and naive emotions the reader is allowed to feel sympathy for her character and almost root for her survival and grieve when survival fails to transform the novel.

The narrow view of the novel then must be employed to allow the reader to understand and sympathize with a character who might otherwise have been viewed with contempt. Without this narrow view of Theresa and the distance with which the author holds the other characters the reader might not have felt the impact of the various relationships portrayed throughout the novel on Theresa or understood how the young woman found herself in the situation that ultimately led to her death.