Point of View

The novel is told from in the first-person present from the point of view of the main character, Meddelin Chen. Although the first section switches back and forth between the chapters set in the narrative present and chapters set during Meddelin’s time at UCLA with Nathan, both chapters are written in the present-tense. This disregard for tense enables the novel to show how present Meddelin’s past with Nathan is in her heart, despite the time that exists in between.

As a narrator, Meddelin is witty and light, and her use of language is charming. This enables the novel to dive into dark territory (including potential rape, murder, and corpse disposal) without ever moving over to a dark tone. Although the novel is structurally made up of plot points that would be more at home in a mystery or crime novel, Meddelin’s narration...