Point of View

The novel is written in first-person from two different perspectives. Most of the chapters are written from Sera's perspective. She is a young girl who ages several years over the course of the events of this novel. Sera's age and her devotion to gymnastics affects her perspective. She describes routines, sometimes in great detail. She makes comments about some aspects of her life – such as never eating a cookie and eating only chicken breast and raw vegetables while her family eats normal meals. She does not, however, focus on the hardships of these details. For example, she is inclined to talk about the fact that her family pretends she has the option to eat whatever she wants rather than talk about the self-discipline it takes to maintain her tiny figure.

Several of the chapters are written from Charlene's perspective. Charlene is Sera's mother, and these...