Point of View

The majority of this story is narrated in the past tense and the first person limited point of view of Parnell. The exception of this perspective is the opening section, What Came Home With Him, which is narrated by a third-person narrator from the perspective of Lucy. Nickless uses a different point of view for this opening section because Parnell is not present with the Davenport family on the evening that Roman comes to their house to attack the family. Because Parnell does not see or experience what Lucy sees and experiences that night, Parnell would be unable to narrate that portion of the book.

Parnell’s point of view is important because the way that Parnell reacts to what happens in the novel is almost as significant as what happens. Nickless has written a murder mystery that includes information about what it is like...