Point of View

The stories in this collection mostly utilize first-person, past tense narration. There are some exceptions, such as stories that use third-person and/or present tense narration, but those exceptions are rare over the course of the book. The use of first-person narration in these stories places the reader directly within the consciousness and experiences of the protagonists. However, there are still distinct separations between the protagonists and the reader, which parallel the forms of alienation that the stories often address. These forms include people’s alienation from each other, as well as alienation from themselves. In other words, while the characters often struggle to understand and connect with one another, they also struggle to understand their own desires, motivations, and circumstances.

Each story occupies only one character’s perspective, but within each story, the juxtapositions between characters and their interactions allow insights into the perspectives...