Point of View

The novel’s narration is written in the first person and the past tense. There are four narrators/point-of-view characters: Maria, Sonja, Edgar, and Tsala. Maria, Sonja, and Edgar’s experiences constitute the three main storylines. These storylines are connected by the fact that they are all immediate family members with each other. Also, they are all still struggling with the emotional aftermath of Ray-Ray’s tragic death. The alternating perspectives and storylines allow the readers to view the different ways in which the characters still struggle with this grief. Maria and Ernest foster a child, Edgar struggles with drug addiction, and Sonja pursues a potentially unhealthy relationship. Edgar’s reunion with the rest of the family is not guaranteed at the end, but the novel places emphasis on the importance of such family ties.

The novel also creates a narrative and thematic balance between...