Point of View

A Girl Named Disaster is from Nhamo's point of view. She is the main character, and she is the only one whose point of view is used. This serves the plot well, because during the bulk of the book, Nhamo is alone and isolated, so it wouldn't work to tell the story from another character's point of view. It serves the plot in another way as well. The story reflects Nhamo's transformation from girl to woman, from village outcast to beloved beauty. The use of her point of view helps the reader see this transformation.

Another important reason the book is from Nhamo's point of view is that it was written for young readers, who will more readily identify with Nhamo's voice than with the voice of someone else, such as the aunt or the grandmother.

The story is told in third person rather than first...