How do the multiple points of view enhance your experience as a reader? How would the novel have been different if some parts had been omitted or told from a different point of view?

The Things We Keep is told from the points of view of Eve, Anna, and Clem. How does this structure enhance your experience as a reader? How would this novel have been different had certain sections been omitted or told from a different point of view?

The multiple points of view give us more to mull over. Makes us think a bit more about the alternatives and how we might feel in a particular situation. If only one point of view had been used, the story would have been much less dimensional, less thought provoking. We learn more about each person who presents their view and not just a main character.

I found myself immersed in this book and I believe one reason for this was the different points of that showed dementia from those watching and those living it. As Anna's disease progresses and her ability to tell her story diminishes, the other story tellers become even more important to the reader who has been so pulled into the novel and wants to know what has happened to Anna. Without the multiple points of view, the book would have been less effective.

The multiple viewpoints gave a bigger view of the story. It would have been more difficult to understand the scope of Anna's struggle without seeing her from another's point of view. Likewise, I would not have connected as much with Eve if the story was only hers. It was the blend of the three voices that allowed the story to have depth and breadth. Each voice added a new layer that could not have been revealed any other way. It was beautifully written and allowed Ms. Hepworth to fill in the gaps in the two main storylines. The multiple points of view also allowed us to see the progression of Anna's illness and its effects on her, Jack, Luke and the others.

The multiple points of view contributed to giving a more complete picture of what was going on, especially with respect to the progression of Anna's dementia. While reading one point of view questions and objections would come to my mind which were then addressed when reading another point of view.

My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease about three years ago. The different points of view in the novel pretty accurately represent the differing perspectives in my family on topics like sex and love between people with dementia (my mother is in her 80's, but this still came up!), how to communicate with someone who has dementia, and what is the best thing to do for someone suffering from dementia.

I always like books that express different viewpoints. Life experiences are different for different people. A book written on this subject would not have been nearly as interesting if written from one viewpoint. I really liked the book, it held my interest all the way through. I enjoyed her other book on midwives as well.

The multiple narrators allowed the author to tell the story directly and not omnisciently. Some of it felt forced. The Clem parts didn't work that well although they did let the reader know how poorly the adults had handled things.

I liked the story from multiple points of view. Stories that are only told through the eyes of a single person often limit the readers opportunity to understand the full story. We need Eve to part of this story to help us understand Anna.

I love books that show many different points of view on a given topic. It helps to broaden your own horizons. I think it adds demention to a subject. All of these characters are having to deal with Anna prognosis.

Multiple viewpoints adds to the novel's depth..I liked getting the story from various post of view. It enhanced the story.

I agree with several other participants that different points of view help us understand Anna as the progression of her disease got worse. Hearing Clem's point of view helped us see how a child is affected with what goes on around her. It shows us how important it is to tell a child the truth. Clem should have been told right away where her father was in terms she could understand. She was affected in many ways by not knowing the truth.

I am finding that I often enjoy books with multiple points of views. It seems to allow me to get deeper into the landscape and emotions of the novel. In this book, I only wish that the author had allowed us into Luke's mindset a little, but, perhaps her decision not to added something as well - making us accept that some things just can't be totally understood.