Point of View

Howard Jacobson tells his novel “J” in the third-person, reflective omniscient-withholding narrative mode. The narrator, never named, is obviously telling the story from a point in the future, for everything spoken of is spoken of as having already happened. In this way, the narrator is reflecting on the past. It also explains why the narrator knows everything about everything that occurs in the novel –from events of the very distant past and the events of the present (the present being the future for readers, but the past for the narrator). This allows the narrator to tell not only Kevern and Ailinn’s stories, but also the stories of Rebecca, Coira, Gutkind, and others who may have only limited direct contact with Kevern and Ailinn. This adds greater depth and dimension to the novel, rounding out characters and plotlines. In order to hook the reader, keep...