Point of View

The short story is written from the third person point of view. Although this third person narrator primarily follows the life and experiences of the protagonist Olya, they also possess omniscient qualities. The reader might refer to the opening passage of the short story in order to better understand this facet of the narration: "July 1980," the narrator begins as they set the scene for the short story, “a train from Simferopol to Moscow, 2:35 p.m., a packed restaurant car, tomato sauce stains on the overstretched tablecloths, someone’s forgotten box of Lviv-brand matches, cigarette ash, bottles of Narzan tinkling in their metal cupholders by the window, a fluttering curtain, hyperboloids of thick sunbeams, Olya’s forearm peeling from a sunburn, Volodya’s faded polo shirt, two poppy heads embroidered on Vitka’s jean skirt” (132). Instead of locating the narrative action, tension, or description in or...