Point of View

Jamie tells his story from his first-person point of view. Consider the first part of the first sentence of the novel: “I don’t like to start with an apology …” (16). Jamie refers to himself as I, indicating the use of the first-person. Later he notes: “I’m twenty-two now, which makes this later, right?” (16). These sentences tell the reader that Jamie telling the story after it happened, from his perspective as a 22-year-old. The story includes memories from as early as Jamie’s preschool days. This sentence also is a rhetorical question asked to the reader, showing that Jamie considers his reader his audience and that he is speaking directly to this audience. Later, Jamie addresses the reader directly: “I learned a lot of four-letter words from my mother and used them from an early age (as you will find out), but this is one...