Point of View

The novel is written in first person from two limited perspectives. The majority of the story is from Heather's perspective. However, 14 chapters are from Beth's perspective. Both have some serious limitations in addition to the traditional limits. Beth is literally locked in a basement after the first chapter from her perspective. She can hear sounds from the cabin above her, but she cannot see what is happening in the cabin, meaning she is only guessing based on the sounds. She is also struggling with fear and desperation, meaning she is not always entirely rational. This means the reader may not always trust that she is capable of relating the truth about the situations.

Heather is very young and immature. She is sometimes idealistic and is affected by her past. Heather's mother brutally attacked her when Heather was very young, and burned off Heather's entire ear...