Point of View

The novel’s narration is written in the third person and the past tense. The narration is omniscient and frequently shifts between character perspectives, even within scenes. The narration functions to highlight the thoughts and emotions of all characters present in any given scene, with occasional exceptions. The characters whose perspectives are directly relayed by narration mostly include Melissa, Michael, Damian, and Stephanie. Because the interpersonal difficulties of the characters often stem from a lack of communication, the narration presents the characters’ respective interiorities in order to give the reader a more complete sense of the characters’ clashing perspectives and emotional challenges.

However, the characters’ perspectival differences and similarities sometimes manifest in the course of dialogue as well. These dialogues often function as platforms for thematic and sociopolitical exploration of relevant themes. For example, while on vacation, Melissa and Stephanie converse about their perspectives on...