Point of View

Callender writes from the first-person point of view and in the present tense. Their protagonist thus takes full control of the reader’s understanding of events, people, and circumstances, leading to a highly engaging and immersive reading experience that perfectly captures the very angst and grief the novel is meant to explore. As King suffers, the reader is thrown into his suffering. As King is misled by his own beliefs, so, too, is the reader misled up until the point when King himself gains a new understanding which redirects his beliefs.

Given that the book explores themes which are relevant to growing up and to transitioning away from childhood and towards adulthood, Callender’s use of the first-person point of view is highly effective in helping their readers relate to the narrative. Writing from King’s point of view allows Callender to explore a boy...