Point of View

The novel’s narration is written in the present tense and the third person, and the story is consistently told from Shuli’s perspective. This focus on one character’s perspective helps to emphasize the importance of Shuli’s beliefs and emotions throughout the novel, which in turn places significance on the specific changes that characterize Shuli’s internal character arc. The most major example of this dynamic is in Chapter 6, when the novel summarizes Shuli’s rapid transition from living a completely secular life to living a life defined entirely by religious practice. However, Shuli continues to undergo significant changes in perspective during his mission to reverse the kinyan, although these changes ultimately serve only to strengthen his religious devotion.

Despite the fact that the novel is written solely from Shuli’s perspective, the novel incorporates the perspectives of other characters via the dramatization...