Point of View

Choo’s novel is told from the first-person perspective of Ji Lin, who is the main protagonist of the novel. Readers are also given a third-person narration through the perspectives of Ren and William. Since Ji Lin is the most self-aware and thoughtful character of the novel, Choo is able to share the major plot twists, insights, and discoveries of the book through her perspective, while William and Ren remain limited in what they can observe and realize. Because the fates of all three characters are linked, there are moments of irony and connection that only the reader appreciates: for example, when Lydia reminds Ren of a pontianak, but only William learns just how like an evil witch she really is. These points of distance and connection keep the momentum of the novel moving consistently, and readers learn new things about the same situation through...