Point of View

The story is written in first person from Ursa Corregidora's point of view. The perspective is limited to Ursa but historical information is presented through several methods, chiefly through stories told to Ursa by her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Many of these are told when Ursa is a child but she remembers them or relates them to other people as an adult, thereby presenting them to the reader.

There are also scenes in which Ursa is either dreaming, recalling or imagining situations and conversations. While only a few are clearly presented as either dreams or memories, the details offered are relevant to the storyline and are used as a method of presenting pertinent information to the reader. For example, Ursa's longing for Mutt after their divorce is evident in her imagined or remembered conversations in which Mutt asks her to return to him. She refuses which...