Point of View

The story is written in third person but from the limited perspective of Tsukuru. This limited perspective means the reader doesn't know what's going on in the minds of the other characters unless Tsukuru also knows that information. This means the author has the ability to insert twists that would not otherwise be possible. It also means that the reader will be left with unanswered questions as the story comes to a close.

One of the first examples of this limitation is seen in Chapter 2 when Tsukuru talks about being ostracized from his group of childhood friends. He says they told him to stop calling and that he obeyed the command without knowing why. Tsukuru is talking to Sara about the event and at this point in his life, he doesn't know why. The reader doesn't learn about Shiro's claim that Tsukuru raped her until...