Indicative of the author's aesthetic distance in Cheri and The Last of Cheri is the point of view, third person, with much objective text and occasional entrances into the minds of a very few characters — principally Lea and Cheri. This refusal of the author to intrude and her abandonment of the first person may be a reason that some readers believe Cheri to be the first truly modern novel that Colette penned. Certainly, its difference from what she had done before attracted attention.

Another striking feature is the dialogue, starting with the famous opening line, spoken by Cheri: "Lea. Give me your pearls. Do you hear me, Lea?

Give me your necklace." He then claims that the piece "looks as well on me as on you — and better." This sharp opening suggests the character of Cheri, the situation, and the use of appropriate symbols (the pearls...