In Gold Dust, Lynch tells Richard's story from a first-person point of view, meaning that all of the action is told through the perspective of Richard. This view makes it possible for the reader to understand what the narrator is thinking as the action unfolds. However, because everything is told only from the narrator's eyes, it can be difficult to understand other characters in the novel. This effect works well for Lynch because both Richard and the reader share confusion over the character of Napoleon.

Richard has a difficult time understanding the Dominican, and the reader must struggle along with Richard, trying to figure out what Napoleon is thinking. Napoleon is a complex figure and readers must collect information as related by Richard to form an opinion of him.

Critics have also credited Lynch for his writing style, a way of creating short, expressive text that...