Point of View

The novel is narrated from the point of view of Aviva, an eleven-year-old Jewish girl living in a small town, Beacon. Aviva is highly intelligent and aware of the people around her, but because of her youth she is unable to understand everything happening in her life. Because of this, mystery is created around the behavior of her friends and family. Similarly, because Aviva blocks out the memory of her father’s death and only remembers small moments of the night without any context, a great deal of mystery is also created around the incident. The novel’s most momentous moments all revolve around Aviva understanding something about her world. When she finally realizes that Kayla has been ignoring her and refusing to be her friend because of her own father’s illness, Aviva feels as if something clicks into place, and she is able...