Just Listen- Whose Perspective is missing? Why?

     The book, Just Listen by Sarah Dessen is about Annabelle. A teenage girl whose model life seems perfect on the outside but really, she's putting with many issues; her sisters eating disorder, her best friend ignoring her, and her social life disappearing. Despite her beautiful looks, she is barely talked to and usually sits alone at lunch. Although Annabelle is the narrator of this book, her opinion is not often heard. She most commonly says "I guess I have to deal with it" or "I was too young to have an opinion". Annabelle never clearly states her opinion on anything. Her thoughts usually include telling events rather than giving her point of view on anything. I think Sarah Dessen rarely includes the main characters opinion, so that the reader knows she is a rather timid character and usually worried of what others think.

     An example in which Annabelle does not explain her point of view is when she explains a crisis her mother went through when her grandmother died she once again says "I didn't talk to my mom about it. I was too young to really understand." Annabelle was ten at the time, but that shows she usually refrains from giving her opinion. Another example in which she doesn't talk about issues to anyone is when she sees her sister is anorexic. She leaves her sister alone and says "I'd rather not bother her. She's probably just going through a phase". Anabelle definitely wants to talk to her sister and wants to know what is going on, but she ignores the problem, fearing her opinion won't be liked.

    I think Sarah Dessen makes Annabelle a timid character, with a quiet opinion because she wants the reader to pick up clues as to what is making Annabelle such a reserved character. Annabelle lost her best friend due to an issue that Sarah Dessen doesn't mention until the end of the book. I think the author wants us to know that the main character possibly had too strong of an opinion or something of the sort and has now changed.

     In conclusion, Sarah Dessen makes the main character's opinion be the one thats missing so we can pick up clues as to what the problem initially was with her friend. When Annabelle's opinion is left out we know what kind of a character she is.