Point of View

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr is written from numerous perspectives, but they are all told from the third person point of view. The novel begins with the perspective of Elise, a wealthy and successful modern day Black film star. Throughout her narration, the main tension of her story unfolds: namely who is Kitty Karr to her family and why has the near billionaire left all of her money to her neighbors, the St. John sisters, including Elise. Most of the story told from her perspective only spans a couple of days as she prepares Kitty’s estate, her mom plans a party, and she holds a memorial service and auction for Kitty. Despite this condensed timeline, her story does jump a few months at the end of the novel to show her winning an Oscar. Her story is mainly told at the beginning of...