Point of View

The novel is written from a range of different points of view. Both “The Underground Pool” and “The Crack” are written from the first person plural point of view of the underground pool community members. “Diem Perdidi” is written from the third person point of view. “Belavista” is written from the first person plural point of view of the Belavista organizers. The final chapter, “EuroNeuro,” is written from the second person point of view of Alice’s unnamed daughter. Within the context of each individual chapter, the distinct narrative voice dictates the parameters and stakes of the narrative sphere.

In “The Underground Pool,” “The Crack,” and “Belavista,” the first person plural narrators represent and embody the voices of collective communities and organizations. In the world of the underground pool, each individual swimmer is “able to leave [their] troubles on land behind” (4). With the temporary abandonment...