Point of View

Article 5 is told from the first person point of view. The story is narrated by the central character, Ember Miller, who recounts her experiences following the arrest of her mother and her own detention at a reformatory.

Using a first-person narrator is effective in this novel because the reader gets an intimate view of the book's primary character. It is useful to know her thoughts and feelings as the story progresses, which creates a great deal of empathy for the character. The downside is seeing the other characters only from Ember's perspective, but the author does a commendable job of depicting enough of her reactions and responses, along with ample dialogue and description, to provide a good view of most of the main characters.

Language and Meaning

The book is written in present-day English. The language is easy to read but includes an adequate number...