Point of View

The novel is written in first person from the limited perspective of Billie. The reader should evaluate the perspective to decide if Billie is a reliable and honest narrator. For the most part, she seems to try to give the reader all the details, even when there are some of those that put her in a poor light. She freely admits to failures and shortcomings. For example, she talks about a blob of syrup that fell on the floor in front of the refrigerator when Louise was little. Because Billie refused to clean up after Victor and Victor refused to clean it up, the blob solidified. Billie says that, looking back on it, she realizes that was a symbol of their inability to get on with their lives even when the task was something as simple as cleaning up a small spill. Though the novel...