Points of View

The novel is told through the eyes of Tom Wingo from his embryonic swim with his twin sister through the resolution of both their mental problems in the end. Conroy is capable, however, of relating the other characters' viewpoints through the stories that Tom tells Dr. Lowenstein. His style allows the reader to get inside the minds of Lila, Tolitha, Amos, Luke and Henry simply through his uncolored accounts. Susan Lowenstein's point of view is reflected in the constant confrontations she has with Tom, calling him down for his flippancy and withholding of all the facts.

Some of the stories are almost omniscient in viewpoint because of the clear use of dialogue that gives each character a believable truth. As Tom's time with Dr. Lowenstein goes on, Tom becomes less and less subjective in his narration, and the reader can almost feel that he or she...