Point of View

This novel is told from the third person omniscient point of view although it frequently follows the life of the protagonist, Ruth. The novel opens with a narration of the day Ruth is brought to Sister Louisa at the orphanage. At this point, the reader does not know the entire story of Ruth’s past. This is a sequel to the book, Moloka’i, however, and those who have read that book will understand more of Ruth’s situation at the beginning of the novel than those who have not.

While the novel largely follows Ruth, there are times when it follows Taizo and Rachel. The third person perspective allows for this without breaking the narrative structure. One of the times the novel switches to a different character’s perspective is when Taizo is in the Tule Lake Segregation Center. The details of Taizo’s...