Point of View

A. S. King tells her novel "Everybody Sees the Ants" in the first-person perspective of Lucky Linderman, the protagonist for at least two major reasons.

The first reason is that the novel is about Lucky and his dealing with bullies and a difficult family position. It is through Lucky's eyes that events unfold, from Nader's bullying to Lucky's dreams of his grandfather to Vic's distance. Because of this -that the novel deals with events around Lucky's life- it is only fitting that his story should be told from his perspective.

The second reason is that it is better for one character to relate, in personal terms, his or her own personal experiences the emotionally-charged themes that the book deals with, ranging from bullying to family to coming of age, This allows the reader to relate directly to the character, feeling, seeing, and understanding things exactly as...