Who is the narrator, can she or he read minds, and, more importantly, can we trust her or him?
First Person (Central Narrator)
Please Ignore Vera Dietz is told from a first person perspective, mostly through the eyes of the titular heroine, Vera Dietz. But the book is unique because that's not the only perspective we get—we also get to hear from the Pagoda (yes, as in a building), Ken Dietz, and perhaps most importantly, Charlie (even though he's dead). Each first-hand account of the story adds layers to Vera's story, offering clarity to Vera's take on things.
From Vera, we get a jaded, angry teenager's point of view:
Well if it's as easy as catching my future from a blood relative, then I guess I'm due to be a drunk, pregnant, dropout stripper any day now. (1.3.20)
And Charlie's point of view is full of regret, but it's too late for him to do anything about it now:
I was an idiot. I was an idiot about Vera and about Jenny Flick. I don't know what I was doing. I don't know who I was trying to impress. I've asked myself for months now, and I can only tell you what I wasn't doing. (2.9.1)
And finally, we get Ken Dietz's perspective as he tries to raise his daughter to not make the same mistakes that he did:
But I want Vera to see other people. To respect other people. To realize that the whole world is not here for her. I want her to see her duty to the world, not the other way around. (4.2.20)
With the unique first person perspective of multiple characters, we get a fuller version of the story than we'd ever get from hanging out with just one of these characters the whole way through.