Point of View

The novel is written from the limited perspective of Frankie Wallop, a seventh-grade girl who lives with her father and two brothers. Frankie has discovered that her father met and kissed a woman named Ayanna. Frankie's limited perspective means the reader knows only the things Frankie knows, and only as she learns them. While Ayanna writes emails back to Frankie, the reader does not see any part of the novel from Ayanna's perspective other than what she relates to Frankie. That limitation means the author is able to keep things secret until the proper moment for revelation. It also means that Frankie's words change as her attitudes and understanding change. For example, she begins by hating Ayanna based solely on the fact that she fears the changes Ayanna's relationship with Robert would cause.

While the limited perspective typically provokes the question of whether the narrator...