Point of View

The narration uses two points of view. The author writes most of the novel from the third person perspective of Edie, family members, and people who enter their lives while they are trying to deal with Edie's health issues. The exception occurs in the chapter, 'Seating Chart'. In this chapter, the point of view switches to first-person plural. Both point of views serve to paint a portrait of a layered family whose members bring along their own insecurities and fears to the battle to save Edie.

Using a third-person multiple perspective technique effectively gives readers insight into the subjects of the Middlestein portrait. As the family members don't communicate their real feeling to each other, the only way readers can truly get to know them is to have someone else go into their heads. The perspective shifts weave the novel together much in the same...