Point of View and Narration

"Where I'm Calling From" is told in the first person by an unnamed narrator. The present tense is used almost exclusively, even in scenes that are memories or accounts of earlier events. The narrator tends to be blunt, Informal, and brief. In the first paragraph, for example, he describes J.P. as "first and foremost a drunk." He frequently uses run-on sentences and sentence fragments, as in the description of one of the worst fights between J.P. and Roxy: "He manages to get Roxy' s wedding ring off her finger. And when he does, he cuts it into several pieces with a pair of wire-cutters. Good, solid fun."

Most of the narration consists of matter-of-fact physical description, rarely offering analysis of motivation or psychological states beyond simple statements like "he's scared." Whether out of inarticulateness or a lack of insight, the narrator seems...