Point of View

The entire novel is told through the narrative voice of Rukmani. She is telling the story in her old age, reflecting on her life as she lives out her final days. It is told in the first person and in the past tense.

Setting

The story is set in rural India. No names are ever given to the places in which the story occurs, giving the impression that it could be anywhere in India. All that is known is that the village where the majority of the story is set is at least 100 miles from any major city. The difference between the village life and city life is sharply contrasted between the first and second parts of the book when it becomes very apparent just how much of a village life Rukmani and Nathan led as the fight to survive in a big unfamiliar city...