Point of View

The Bread the Devil Knead is written from both the first and the third person points of view. All of the numerated chapters are written from the main character Alethea Lopez’s first person point of view. All of the chapters marked with timestamps, none of which is numbered, are told from the third person point of view. The third person narrative perspective in these latter sections enacts Allie’s attempts to disassociate from her past. Indeed, because these chapters feature scenes from Allie’s childhood, they centralize Allie’s past trauma and abuse. The third person perspective captures Allie’s fear of claiming these memories and experiences as her own.

By way of contrast, Allie is telling her story in her own words in the numerated chapters. By granting Allie narrative authority in these portions of the novel, the author is enacting her protagonist's...