Point of View

The author writes Everything Here is Beautiful from a network of alternating first and third person points of view; each chapter presents a new voice or vantage, whether it is that of Miranda, Manny, Lucia, or Yona. By dividing the narrative authority between these four characters, the author allows the reader to live inside both their collective and individual experiences. In this way she shapes the novel not into a mere examination of mental illness, but an exploration of family ties, a community of voices connected to and defined by one another.

Miranda's point of view grants allows the reader to understand her character both in and out of the context of Lucia's life and illness. While she deeply desires to create a life for herself outside of the role she has assumed within her family as protector and caretaker, Miranda remains tied to these...