Point of View

The novel is narrated in first-person present in chapters that alternate between Alice and Iris. Alice narrates the first chapter, and Iris narrates the final chapter and the epilogue, so the girls are quite even when it comes to space and time allotted in the novel. The book was co-written by a pair of authors who each took charge of one of the perspectives, so the novel has the benefit of containing two truly distinct perspectives and voices.

As narrators, Alice and Iris make the perfect team. Alice is a spoiled rich girl who has everything a child could ever want, except parents who are present and loving. Iris, on the other hand, comes from an impoverished family and has an abusive father she is terrified of. Because of their distinct backgrounds, Alice and Iris never speak to one another, even though they have been...