Point of View

Steena Holmes tells her novel "Emma's Secret" in the first and third-person limited omniscient perspective. This is done for several reasons. The first-person narrative is that of Dottie, whose narration takes the form of written journal entries throughout the course of two years. During those two years, her memory is declining because of Alzheimer's, which will lead to her eventual death. This allows the reader to know Dottie firsthand and to realize that she is not a monster. They understand Dottie through her own words, rather than the opinion of Megan. The third-person sections allow the reader to follow the separate lives of Jack, Peter, and Megan, as they work to move past the two year ordeal of Emma's kidnapping. The third person provides a common and unifying thread between the stories of Megan, Peter, and Jack, allowing the reader to more easily follow their...