Point of View

The novel’s narration is written in the limited third person and the past tense. Although the narration never uses the first-person mode, it only ever adheres to one character’s perspective at any given time. Laurel and Daphne are the protagonists and primary point-of-view characters. The narration occasionally slips into the perspectives of other characters—such as Sally, Arthur, Don, Larry, and Michael—but the twins’ perspectives are the most prominent.

One of the most ironic elements of the story is that a rift develops between the twins, despite the fact that their perspectives are so similar. They both love words and language and they have similar interest and personalities. However, underlying elements of dysfunction and jealousy cause them to cultivate petty disagreements. For example, they take separate stances on the niche academic debate of linguistic prescriptivism versus descriptivism. The twins appear unable to...