Structure

The short story “Dad, Can I Come Home?” by Malorie Blackman can be structured according to the phone conversations. The first part of the story is comprised of the conversation between Eve and her father. The second part of the story is the conversation between Janice and Mr Walker.

Point of view and narrator

The story is a third-person narrative, told from the perspective of an anonymous and distant narrator. He does not participate in the action, he only renders what other characters think and feel. What is more, we are only told what the narrator chooses to tell us. The point of view shifts throughout the story. We get to read the facts from Eve’s point of view of Eve, but also that of Janice and of Mr Walker.

Here is one example of events depicted through Eve’s point of view: “Eve smiled happily. It was so good to hear if not see her Dad again. Somehow it made the idea of returning home seem closer and more real.” (p. 84, ll. 5-7)

This is an instance in which Janice’s point of view prevails:

“Janice keyed the necessary commands into the console beside the video-phone and the morgue appeared without warning, filled to overflowing with row upon row of body capsules. Janice began to ke...