Point of View

There are five distinct points of view telling the same story. Each one is identified by title by chapter and told in first person present tense. Jane's point of view appears in 24 chapters. She contradicts herself often and is prone to dramatic expressions and thoughts. She doesn't want to be a good mother; she pledges to be the perfect mother. Her responses are triggered by outside stimulus more often than by her own will.

Oliver and Rebecca each have thirteen chapters. Oliver's thoughts and dialogue reveal his enormous ego and Harvard education, which he seems compelled to show off. His logical, plodding thoughts come off to the reader as cold and purposeful. Rebecca's perspective is matter-of-fact observant except in times of emotional distress. During her visit to the airplane crash site and during memories of it her sentences become fragmentary. Rebecca's chapters are told in reverse...