Who is the narrator, can she or he read minds, and, more importantly, can we trust her or him?
First Person (Central Narrator)
Lucy, Lucy, Lucy. Everything we encounter in this novel—situations, characters, interior décor—we see from her perspective. Luckily for us, Lucy's opinionated style and unconventional way of looking at life keeps us entertained and turning the pages. How can we not be tickled by her declarations that she's going to make it a priority to teach her kids curse words when she becomes a parent and that she'd like to develop an offensive body odor?
It's important to point out that Lucy is kind of a special type of narrator in that she brings an outsider's perspective to a lot of what she narrates in the book. That is, not only is she not a member of the family that she tells us so much about, she comes from a completely different country, culture, and economic background than they do.
The cool thing about this outsider perspective is that Lucy's able to notice things that readers, especially some North American readers, might take for granted.
For example, Lucy points out her amusement at Mariah's claim that getting rid of some of her stuff will make her happier:
[Mariah] had too much of everything, and so she longed to have less; less, she was sure, would bring her happiness. To me it was a laugh and a relief to observe the unhappiness that too much can bring; I had been so used to observing the results of too little. (4.3)
Lucy's background of growing up in a poor Caribbean nation clearly influences how she views Mariah's situation.
As we talk about in more length in her "Character Analysis," Lucy isn't one to hold back in giving us the lowdown on what she really thinks. This makes her an interesting and fun narrator; in showing us the truth behind Mariah's façade of a marriage, for instance, she's like that friend you can count on to really dish the dirt.
At same time, Lucy's judgmental tendencies mean that she can be a bit hard on others. The picture Lucy draws of her mother, in particular, is a little negative.
Alright, we're understating it: Lucy likens her to one of the most notorious figures ever. She tells us:
Whenever I saw [my mother's] eyes fill up with tears at the thought of how proud she would be at some deed her sons had accomplished, I felt a sword go through my heart [. . .] To myself I then began to call her Mrs. Judas, and I began to plan a separation from her that even then I suspected would never be complete. (4.51)
Sure, Lucy's mother's behavior is hurtful. But we can't help wondering what her side of this story (and the many other stories Lucy tells us about her) might be. Of course, limited access to other characters' perspectives is definitely one of the pitfalls of a first person narrator. Sigh.