In the novel "Just Listen", Annabel Greene and her family face many problems in their daily lives. Annabel is caught in a problem that she cannot control. Annabel and her best friend Sophie are in a social battle. Sophie is constantly calling Annabel hurtful names and trying to cause physical fights. The Greene family is having many problems: Whitney's eating disorder, Grace always wanting perfection, and Annabel's secret modeling problems.
"Just Listen" is narrated through Annabel's point of view. The first person point of view helps readers clearly understand the setting and plot. Annabel is a well-educated teenage girl, she lives in a very stereotypical world. The point of view also helps readers realize how much Annabel changes throughout the novel. I feel that the book is very easy to read, understand, and enjoy through the point of view Sarah Dessen chose.
You brought up some really good points, Alyssa. In your posting, you said that the first person p.o.v. gives readers the chance to clearly understand both the setting and the plot. But do you think that the first person POV actually hurts a readers understanding? Annabel might be biased towards certain individuals or certain situations. For example, we only really hear how Sophie is a horrible friend, but we never understand why or see her side of the story. It would be interesting if the author created another novel or short story from another perspective or even third person point of view.
ReplyDeleteThis could even give a more throughough understanding of each of the conflicts. Would character, besides Anabell, would be a good narrator for the story? And if they changed it, do you think the conflicts would be the same?