Realism as opposed to idealism in the novel

Because of the it's written, Nervous Conditions can be seen as idealistic rather than realistic. The novel's narrator both interprets and filters the events as she sees them; therefore the way the information is presented opinionated and biased.

That's not to say Tambu is totally unreliable as a narrator, her observations are her own.......... she's testifying to her OWN experience. Therefore, what we see is a sense of realism over shadowed by idealism.