Point of View

The novel is told in the first person, present tense, from the perspective of the protagonist Louisa Clark, with the exception of one chapter. The use of point of view serves to narrow the perspective of the reader, leading the reader to perceive things the same way that Louisa perceives them, often without questioning what is really going on. The most significant instance of Louisa’s flawed point of view having an impact on the reader’s understanding of events is in the interpretation of Sam’s relationship to Jake. Both Louisa and, as a consequence, the reader assume that Sam is Jake’s father when he is, in fact, his uncle. This colors Louisa’s attitude towards Sam as she believes that he is a womanizer who will just use her for sex, rather than being interested in pursuing a serious relationship with her...