Point of View

The story is written from the limited perspectives of four characters – Naomi, Wash, Beto, and Henry. The novel is divided into relatively short sections, each with the name of one of these four characters as the opening word. That section is from the perspective of that character. Henry has control of the perspective in only a few sections. The perspective does not necessarily change from one section to the next. Most of the time, these recurring sections are from Naomi's perspective. Though Cari is one of the most important characters, there are no sections from her perspective. The reader knows some of her inner thoughts and feelings because Beto knows them. There is one exception, as seen on Page 229. That section is from Beto's perspective and takes place after Henry forced Beto to shoot the dove. Cari offers to recite from an encyclopedia entry to...