Point of View

Liana Moriarty tells her novel Truly Madly Guilty from the third-person, limited-omniscient perspective. The novel is character driven. There are six primary characters in Moriarty’s novel (Clementine, Erika, Oliver, Sam, Vid, and Tiffany) and there are a number of secondary characters (Holly, Dakota, Pam, etc.). Each character has a backstory which serves as a motive for who they are and why they speak and act the way they do. All of the characters are important to the overall plot.

Moriarty takes great pains to fully develop each character. Each is multi-dimensional. The third-person narrator allows the author to see inside the hearts and minds of each of her diverse characters. The reader has privileged access to each character's composition, thoughts, and feelings. The limited-omniscient aspect of the narration lets Moriarty hook readers with a sense of suspense and unknowing. Readers are approximately 230 pages into...