Point of View

The story is told from two different points of views in two different time periods. Ben’s narrative is set in 1977 and is told through standard prose. Rose’s narrative is set in in 1927 and told through full page illustrations. Ben’s story is told in a third person limited omniscient mode. The narration knows the thoughts and intentions of Ben but not of other characters. This storytelling mode effectively conveys Ben’s stress and loneliness, particularly due to his deafness. For example, after Ben wakes up in the hospital fully deaf the narration reads, “Ben stared at Linda’s mouth, which was moving, but she wasn’t saying any words. Why wasn’t she speaking?” (174). The reader can share in Ben’s confusion because of the point of view.

Rose’s story is told completely visually which creates a third-person non-omniscient perspective. Because there...