Point of View

The novel is narrated in the third-person, always from the perspective of Tyrell, a young Black teenager from The Bronx who lives with his mother and younger brother, Troy. Coe Booth does not place any limitations on the access to Tyrell’s inner thoughts, allowing the reader to understand his true motivations, fears, and conflicts. Although still a teenager, Tyrell is saddled with an outsize responsibility in his family to help take care of his younger brother and serve as a role model. He tries desperately to be more mature than his age because he needs to provide for his family and he also wants to be seen as a protector by his girlfriend and the other girls he is interested in. For example, Tyrell pressures Novisha to begin a sexual relationship with him by playing on her insecurities about being a virgin and never...