This novel was written from the perspective of Marya Hornbacher, who struggles with both anorexia and bulimia for a total of eleven years. At the age of twenty-three, Marya writes this story that tells of her experiences with eating disorders. Since Marya is telling her own story, the majority of the work is written in the first person point of view. There are times, however, when Marya slips into the plural first person point of view. For instance, toward the end of the chapter entitled, "Dying is an Art, Like Everything Else," Marya begins writing in the plural point of view. Marya uses this point of view because although she is writing about her own experiences, she is writing about things, such as binge eating, that happen to all bulimics and anorexics.