Who is the narrator, can she or he read minds, and, more importantly, can we trust her or him?
First Person (Central)
We don't want to sound like know-it-alls or anything, but if Taylor weren't our narrator/point of view character, Jellicoe Road likely wouldn't work. The story's so enmeshed with Taylor's discovery of her identity, and we follow her journey as it unfolds—it'd just be weird to have some other character running the show.
It's true that the story of the original five would make a pretty good novel on its own, but by blending Taylor's story with theirs, Marchetta packs a powerful punch. Seeing the story through Taylor's eyes gives us serious insight into her struggle and need for family.
Another cool point of view trick Marchetta pulls out of her hat is present tense narration. Taylor isn't telling us her story after the fact. Oh no—we get to actually watch the action unfold as it happens. Not only does this add significant drama to the story, it cranks our emotional connection with Taylor up to eleven, too. As the story develops moment by moment, we as readers experience greater urgency about Taylor finding the information she seeks while still managing the territory wars, her House, and her love life.