unanswered

There are a variety of points of view employed in this novel. The majority of the novel is told from the point of view of an omniscient third-person narrator. The narrator tells all aspects of the story without focusing on one character. However, there are two chapter that are exceptions. Chapter 23 focuses on Amy. Its intention is to catch the reader up on what has happened with Amy since she left Wolgast. The chapter's style mimics Amy’s lack of information about what is going on around her, and the pain she feels because she has outlived so many of the people she knew in life. Chapter 51 is another example of a chapter with a focus on a particular character. It focuses on Babcock and his way of life.

There is also a pair of instances in which the author uses the first person point of view. The first person point of view is used in Auntie’s memory book as well as Sara’s journal. The use of the first person point of view gives the reader an emotional connection to both Auntie and Sara. Since Sara’s journal is written in the present tense, her entires give the reader the feeling of being in the moment. For instance, the novel closes with Sara’s written statements: “I feel … what’s the word? Happy. I feel happy. / Shots outside. I am going to look” (880). The closing documentation that Sara’s journals were found at the site of the Roswell Massacre makes the reader believe that the shots Sara heard fired were perhaps the beginning of this massacre. Auntie writes her journal after the fact, she puts down things as she remembers them, but her first-person point of view still makes the reader feel as if he has experienced what Auntie has experienced. For instance: “I used to think you could look at the stars and that was God, right there. Like looking straight into his face. You needed the dark to see him plain” (295).