Point of View

The novel is written in a first person point of view. The chapters alternate between the perspectives of Alex and Molly, the two lead characters. Both of the leads are eighteen years old and entering their first year of college.

Alex has a difficult home life, with an alcoholic mother and a deadbeat father. For several years, Alex has been the family breadwinner and has taken care of her mother. Alex’s perspective is that of someone trying to hold it together, and just barely managing. Money is always tight, and it seems Alex constantly needs to be in two places at once. Alex is distrustful of new people. To cope with her hectic life, Alex enjoys flirting, though she is not always conscious of the action. She is deeply lonely and reluctant to trust people.

Molly has grown up in a sheltered home, and...