Point of View

Death in Her Hands is written from 72-year-old Vesta Gul's dynamic first person point of view. Living alone in the middle of the Levant woods, Vesta has little human interaction over the course of the novel. Instead, the narrative is driven by her internal monologue. She often talks to her dog, Charlie, her only companion since the death of her husband Walter. Because Vesta feels her marriage to Walter stripped her of her agency and confidence, she takes pride in telling her own story. In Chapter 1, she says, "I took great comfort in ownership. Nobody could ever interfere" (30). Telling her story in her own words allows her to reclaim control over her life. When she feels she cannot make sense of her past or present, Walter's voice creeps into her narrative, challenging her convictions or fears. These conversations with Walter, although entirely imagined, are formatted...