Point of View

The novel is told entirely from the first person perspective of Cussy Mary Carter, with the exception of the two page opening introduction. Cussy’s perspective is told in full sentences, with full words, but with irregular grammar that reflects the local dialect. For instance when Angeline holds her hand she thinks, “No white ever touched a Blue friendly like that” (23). Or when she sees Vester in the woods first thinks she sees a “haint” (or a southern word for a ghost) but then clarifies “weren’t no such spirit, just a man sly-eyeing me” (33). This language choice for the point of view keeps the reader aware of Cussy’s background and how she sees the world as a woman from Troublesome.

The introduction begins from the third person perspective, simply with the title of “Kentucky, 1936” as a librarian on a mule comes upon a...