I love thinking about a character's Point Of View (POV) in a story. If you’ve been around here for a bit and have read some of my posts, you know I typically favor books with a dual or multi-character POV.
I feel honored, in real life, to hear more of a person’s story/background, which is why I love a dual POV book: When you consider things from a different POV, your attitude changes, right? You gain more insight than you had before about how or why someone shows up in the world.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought one thing after meeting a person, and once I have an opportunity to hear more of their story, who they are makes so much more sense. I see them in a different light. My heart softens a little more and my empathy muscle is flexed.
Same when an author switches between a character’s POV. Maybe you started out disliking a character at the beginning of a story, but when you read about the same situation from their perspective, things start to click into place. The puzzle of who you thought they were shifts slightly and maybe you grow to like them.
If you’ve been following along, my novel is told mainly from Rosie’s POV. There is a chapter from Lucia, Rosie’s mom and now I have a chapter completely from Nate’s perspective. The following is the first scene from that chapter. Love him or hate him, he’s still a teenage boy with teenage feelings and this scene/chapter hopefully begins to capture that.
A bit of context: In the previous chapter, Rosie gets a job as a barista at a coffee shop in Boone called Higher Grounds. Nate happens to work there as well along with Bert, the owner and a good friend of Sophia’s and Bert’s granddaughter, Britt.
Here you go…
I can hear Bert’s boisterous laugh from the kitchen of Higher Grounds. I’m not sure who has come in, but he might need my help making drinks until Rosie comes in for her shift.
Rosie. That girl. She’s so angry. Or maybe it’s anger disguised as sadness. Another gem from Sophia I learned. I smile fondly as I recall our previous summer sadness chats. Those just started in April. I love spending time with Sophia.
Rosie seems so ungrateful. She has no idea how amazing Sophia is. How lucky she is to have her for a grandmother. I shake my head in disgust as I dry my hands on the terry cloth towel I’m using to dry the morning dishes.
Speak of the devil. At that moment, Rosie barrels her way through the kitchen on the way to the break room. The electricity in the air between us crackles as she passes. I close my eyes and breathe in a calming breath. That’s not something I’ve ever felt before. I don’t know what to do with it. She simultaneously drives me crazy, and I also can’t get enough of her.
“Who’s got your panties in a twist now? Can’t be me, I just got here. What are you doing here anyway? Don’t you usually work the evening shift at 5?”
I open my eyes to look down at her small frame. Her almost black velvet hair is piled high in a messy bun. She has a jewel-toned magenta scarf tied around her head to keep hair out of the drinks. Her onyx eyes shine bright behind her constant glare.
“I swap shifts with Britt on Mondays and Tuesdays because she has cross-country weight training and volunteer practice for the off-season all summer long.”
“Wait. Does she volunteer to run? Ick. That sounds awful.” She scrunches her adorable nose like she’s smelled a skunk for the first time.
“Our cross-country team is pretty awesome. I was a captain last year and won the state finals. Britt loves it and she’s doing well for a sophomore. Please don’t make fun of her for it.”
“I would never…”
I glare right back at her.
“What? I wouldn’t. Britt is great. She’s like a golden retriever in human form. Just because I don’t express enthusiasm as easily as most people doesn’t mean I’m going to yuck anyone else’s yum. Thank you very much.”
Why do I get so defensive around her? I always feel like I’m ready to combust for better or worse when we’re in the same room. Ugh.
I don’t get to respond because Bret calls for her to come take customers’ drink orders. I keep washing the dishes scrubbing out my frustration with how this girl makes me feel.
I hope you get to hear more of someone’s story this week, and I hope you see that person, situation, or circumstance in a slightly different way because of what you learn ;)
I’m just going to be over here working with Rosie, Nate, and Sophia. :)
xoxo,
Kathleen, Lady Love & Lit