Eastmouth - Alison Moore

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The third-person narrator, who knows everything about Sonia – not the others, only Sonia; including her emotions, thoughts and actions. The other characters aren’t as described by the narrator, which is a sign of limited knowledge. The narrator isn’t always clear about what actually happens in the story, for example about the pregnancy-test.

“She raises her hands now and waves, scissoring her arms above her head, like semaphore, as if she were someone in a high-vis' jacket on a runway, although she does not know semaphore; she does not know how to say "stop". The helicopter turns away and leaves.” (line. 103-106)

Sonia’s point of view is not always the same, but changes as soon as the narrator describes her ways occasionally, for example: “she remembers” (line. 2), “thinks Sonia” (line. 8), “Sonia, looking around, sees” (line. 20), “Sonia supposes” (line. 46-47) and so on.

It is hard to tell, but at the end, the setting isn’t very objective – though still viewing through Sonia. “The crowd is nearing the foot of the hill; they are close now and one by one they look at the woman in the transparent mac and they nod.” (line. 188-189)

The realization of Sonia’s pregnancy is found out is when she’s in the bathroom.

“She has not yet told him about the test she did in his parents' bathroom, about the white plastic stick with the little window in the middle, the vertical line that proved the test was working, and the sky-blue, sea-blue flat line that made her think of a distant horizon seen through an aeroplane window.” (line. 137-140)

The whole story is presented by the author from Sonia’s perspective and inner state. Not only to make the reader feel what it is like to be her, but also to emphasize with the whole situation. The ending is remained open, so neither of us will know if she left Eastmouth or stayed. All depending on her way of choice and inner ethic. She never complained about Peter’s mother crossing her limits, even though she seems like an independent woman who more likely would stand up for herself. The impression of the end is no choice of fate, since the woman (who by the way is a symbolic character), calls her the “Webster’s girl”.