Point of View

For the most part, the narrative unfolds from the first person, past tense point of view, telling the story from the perspective of its central character, teenager Jake Moon. This narrative perspective draws the reader into Jake's story with an immediacy and intimacy that bring his struggles very close to home. If a reader can't immediately and personally identify with Jake's situation because the reader doesn't already have an experience of coping with the debilitating illness of a loved one, after reading the book s/he will at least have some idea of what that situation feels like. It's reasonable to assume that this, at least to some degree, is the author's intent - to awaken readers, whatever their experience, to a broader and deeper understanding of the internal conflicts associated with dealing with such a challenging external situation.

The exception to the novel's general first...