Point of View

The novel is written in the third person, and although the narration focuses on one character’s perspective at any given time, the perspective often shifts between characters. The point-of-view characters include Rufina, Rafa, Rosalinda, the Explorer, Lucio, the angel, and others. The narration uses the present tense when referring to the events of the present-day storyline, and past tense when referring to events that took place previously. The trailer of these narrations choices is that the novel’s perspective is both expansive and intimate. In other words, the reader is exposed to a wide range of experiences held by various different characters. The similarities and contrast between these experiences comprise the novel’s over themes and narrative.

One example of juxtaposed perspectives is the comparison between Rufina and Rafa’s grieving processes. Both of them suffer grief in the wake of their mother’s...