Point of View

The book is written from the first person perspective of an eleven-year-old girl, living during the 1930s. She is a somewhat unreliable narrator because the reader is given only the information from Turtle's viewpoint, which have been shaped by the movies, books, and popular entertainment of the day and time. Her mother, quite immature and lacking common sense, is less mature than her daughter and seems to constantly be seeking approval and acceptance from any man that comes along. Thus, the narrator, Turtle, has had her opinions shaped by her life experiences and assumptions, which turn out to be false, as she finds out later on in the book.

Language and Meaning

Since the novel is set during the 1930s in Key West, Florida, many of the terms and language used are indicative of the time and place in which the characters live. Books, magazines...