Crank Narrator:

Who is the narrator, can she or he read minds, and, more importantly, can we trust her or him?

First Person (Central)

As readers, we have a pretty intimate relationship with our story's protagonist, Kristina Snow. She agrees from the beginning to tell us "the whole story" (Introduction.5) of her downward spiral, provides us with some pretty personal details about her sexploits and drug use, and ultimately tells us some pretty dark secrets.

There's one aspect of Hopkins's narrative technique that's up for debate, though, and that's exactly how much we can trust Kristina. On one hand, she's pretty direct with the details she gives and tells us a lot of unsavory stuff that often casts her in a negative light. Still, there are some moments where she seems to veer away from the path of honesty and into unreliable narrator territory.

Need an example? At the end of the story, Kristina confesses that there were a couple of occasions where she did drugs during her pregnancy. She is quick to add, "Don't worry. I swear it was only a time or two. You won't tell, will you?" (More Choices.7). Hmm… Is it just us, or are you getting the feeling that she's not being totally forthcoming? Kristina's definitely open about her struggle with drugs, but moments like this leave us wondering exactly how far her openness goes.