Point of View

Rachel is the novel’s sole narrator and point-of-view character. Rachel narrates the novel in the first person and the past tense. The past tense gives the story a somewhat retrospective quality. Rachel’s narrational quality is often defined by a tone of detachment, for even though Rachel is recounting events that happened to her, she seems intent on conveying them without much editorialization or external commentary. However, those dynamics do not mean that her narration is devoid of emotion, as there is often an emotional undercurrent to Rachel’s recounting of her experience. Although she does not often state her emotions explicitly, the reader can still easily infer moments of pain or discomfort or satisfaction or ecstasy.

Much of the novel’s narrative and thematic momentum actually hinges on changes in Rachel’s personal perspective, as she shifts from one mental/emotional landscape to...