Point of View

The point of view of the novel is somewhat complex. The novel is delivered in three formats: letters between Quan and Justyce that are written in the first-person present, a third-person narrative that focuses on Quan and transitions between past and present tense, and “Snapshots” which always take place in the third-person present but alternate between closing in on Quan and Justyce.

As narrators of their own letters, Quan and Justyce provide insight into their humor and wit, as well as their own personal emotions, especially in the case of Quan, who has been indoctrinated into a gang rife with toxic masculinity which devalues male emotions, as we see exhibited here in one of Quan’s letters to Justyce: “Looking forward to your next letter. (But you better not tell anybody I said that.)” (38).

The narrator of the traditional narrative is not exactly traditional. There...