Point of View

This story is told by a third person omniscient narrator with a focus on both Meredith and Claire. Chapters alternate with one focusing on Claire and the next focusing on Meredith. This format allows the reader to become intensely knowledgeable about both Meredith and Claire, their experiences, and why they react to things the way they do. The third person narrator gives the reader some emotional space between himself and the main characters. The reader still has some sympathy for Evan and Mark as they try to share the struggle with Claire and Meredith. If Perabo had chosen to write from the first-person point of view of both Claire and Meredith, the reader would have felt the focus was too strong on Claire and Meredith. The author wants the reader to understand that what Meredith has experienced has traumatized the entire family, not just Meredith...