All We Know of Heaven, Jacquelyn Mitchard. Cycle 22 Reading Response, 1-39.

Brief Summary:
In the first four chapters of All We Know of Heaven, the two main characters--Bridget Flannery and Maureen O'Malley--are introduced. Bridget is described as privileged, always getting what she sought after. Maureen is described as being somewhat of Bridget's shadow--a follower-- that was not as fortunate, money-wise, as Bridget. They are both blond, just above 5 feet, green-eyed, and cheerleaders. They are on their way to a state competition in Maureen's car, but it's Bridget who drives. They do not make it.
Almost everyone who is on the sight of the the Toyata, beyond recognition, wrapped around the tree, knew the O'Malley family, the Flannery family, or both; Bigelow is a small town. It is thought that Bridget was thrown some 30 feet from the car, and Maureen was still in the car, so squished the 'Jaws' had to remove her.
Some of their teammates from the squad pass by and find their belongings scattered. Leland shows some concern, but it seems that she is more concerned with missing the competition rather than her ailing 'friends'. Eric, her boyfriend, shows more concern for the girls than she does, even a little shocked by her icy heart.
Throughout the chapters, little inserts of either Maureen's or Bridget's thoughts are scattered. She has to walk herself through almost every sentence she's trying to form: Pee. Pie. Please. Tree. See. Seats. Store--but she never ends up remembering the word she needs. She believes she is dead, but questions where exactly she is: a purgatory? heaven? She doesn't know.
At the end of the fourth chapter, she comes to the realization that she is, indeed, alive and starts to feel the excruciating pain.

New Vocabulary:
• purgatory-- [noun] place or state of suffering inhabited by souls of sinners expiating sins before going to heaven
• frugal-- [adj.] sparing or economical with regard to money or food
• cappella-- [noun] vocal music or singing
• revere-- [verb] feel deep respect or admiration for something
• sacrilege-- [noun] violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred
• sodden-- [adj.] saturated with liquid, esp. water; soaked through
• thready-- [adj.] scarcely audible, perceptible
• pentobarbital-- [noun] narcotic, sedative barbiturate drug used to relieve insomnia
• trundle-- [verb] move slowly and heavily, typically in noisy or uneven way

Reflection: 2 Questions

Whose perspective is the story written from?
While reading these four chapters, I was often confused because the viewpoints always seemed to change. Sometimes it seemed like the writing was just in the perspective of the author, Jacquelyn Mitchard, but other times, it seemed like someone else was having their chance to share--though it was never clear. The author doesn't fully commit to one character, which makes a complicated plot even harder to follow. I found myself having to reread and reread the pages over and over to understand what was going on. That hindered the flow of the story.
The chapters seem to be written by someone who had been a witness of the "Pigtail Pals" and "Dyno Mites" pair, the site of the accident, and an observer at the hospital. The first chapter appears to be written by a towns person--someone who is familiar with the O'Malley and Flannery family and with the inseparable friendship of Bridget and Maureen. "They loved being seen as a pair," 6. Then, on the same page, the author writes, "Maury couldn't imagine how she would live without Bridget." This feels like the author is just writing from her own standpoint rather than an actual character in the story--a lot of telling.
The telling adds to the confusion because instead of having the characters express their thoughts, the author addresses them for them. "Caitlin wondered if Leland wanted to win for Leland because it would be in the newspaper if the squad went on to victory in spite of tragedy," 31, rather than having Caitlin take over for one chapter and saying, "I wondered..." This way, it is obvious who is sharing the story.
So, it appears the writing is just from the point of view of the author, but then, "Please God, bless Coach O'Malley and Mrs. O'Malley," 34. It wasn't italicized or anything, so it showed no transition between perspectives. But, it had to be Amber, the RN at the hospital, because that is who was previously introduced. "Amber smiled softly, as she pulled on a fresh pair of gloves," 34. Just when I think I finally figured it out, the author tosses in a conflicting perspective that throws me off again.

Whose thoughts are interpreted throughout the chapters (by the author)--Maureen's or Bridget's?
Though there is no exact reference as to who the thoughts belong to, I think that they belong to Bridget. "There were no streets of gold or a cappella singing, no elderly ancestors like little apple dolls gathered to welcome her, no mountain sunsets--not even Disney World without lines," 3. The O'Malley family struggled with money, so bringing up something such as Disney World and mountain sunsets--that I assume she would have seen on vacation--seem a bit unreasonable. This gives me reason to believe the thoughts belong to Bridget Flannery.
Throughout the thoughts, Danny is mentioned several times: "Maybe what she'd done with Danny had disqualified her," 4. "How could she remember Danny's name but not, half the time, her own name?" 5. "Danny made them little birdhuts," 24. The frequent mentioning of Danny leads me to believe the thoughts belong to Bridget because Danny was Bridget's boyfriend.
In the first chapter, it was stated that Bridget was thrown some 30 feet from the car in the accident. While in one of the thoughts, the girl hears speaking: "It's amazing that they weren't worse fractures. People who get thrown from a car, it's the worst thing! They usually die." This also implies that the thoughts belong to Bridget.
However, the one thing that gives me reason to question if the thoughts really belong to Bridget is that there is a strong emphasis on the undeniable--almost twin-like--resemblance between Maureen and Bridget. So, though it was stated Bridget was thrown from the car, they were so battered and beyond recognition that they could have easily mistaken their identities, especially since they took Maureen's car, but Maureen wasn't driving.
Danny could have came up so often because a boyfriend is something that Maureen never had, and secretly, she envied Bridget--her best, best friend, the one she 'couldn't live without'--for having one.