Point of View

David Chariandy's novel, Brother, is narrated exclusively in the first-person by Michael, the main character. Michael's narration is subjective, and through his voice we get a sense of what he thinks about other characters and events, and we also experience his anxieties through the details that he chooses to focus on. The narration moves back and forth through different time periods, but even when Michael is recalling a memory from childhood he will occasionally question it from his present perspective. There are scenes where Michael recalls a memory of his father and then asks if it could really be a memory, effectively questioning his narration, or when he asks what of his later knowledge was visible in the time of his memory. Michael also questions itself to flesh out a character, like when he asks himself what he knew about Anton as a person, and...