Parts one and three of this novel are in the third-person point of view. These chapters have multiple narrators, moving from character to character multiple times in the course of a single chapter. The third-person narration of these chapters is omniscient, allowing the reader to hear and see the narrators thoughts and emotions. In the second part of the novel, however, the point of view changes to the first-person point of view. In these chapters, the narrator is Cecelia Pike, a young mother-to-be who learns the truth of her paternity just weeks before her first child is to be born.
The point of view of this novel shifts quite often in this novel. The first and last parts of the novel are in the third person, allowing the reader to get to know many characters quickly. This also allows the reader to see multiple sections of the plot from the eyes of many different characters, allowing the reader to know more than the characters in the story. The middle section is in the first person point of view, restricting the reader's knowledge to just what that one character sees or does. This allows for suspense regarding this character's death to build up as the plot continues to develop. For these reasons, both types of point of view works well with the plot.
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