Point of View

Most stories in this collection are narrated by a third person limited narrator that reflects the perspectives, recounts the memories, and emulates the emotional tone of the internal life of the character. Third person limited has access to both the actions of the main characters and their true hopes, fears, and desires. The point of view usually centers on one character's perceptions; if there is a shift, it is announced by a paragraph break and a description of the character that is being described. Each shift is limited to the perceptions of the character at hand, which means that point of view will change the actions described, the internal conflicts, and emotional valences of each section. The short story "Capricious Gardens" best exemplifies these dexterous shifts in perspective; each time, the new character must interpret, and often misinterprets, the other character's intentions. "Fresh Complaint" also...