Point of View

The novel is told in the present tense, in the third person, from the point of view of ten different characters associated to varying degrees with the production of Mister Monkey the Musical. In addition to this, one chapter is told from the point of view of Mister Monkey (the Monkey God) a celestial being who is not directly involved in the events of the novel.

The use of multiple different perspectives allows the reader to experience the same event from the point of view of different people involved. One of the earliest examples of this is when Edward interrupts the performance of Mister Monkey the Musical in Chapter 1 in order to ask “Grandpa, are you interested in this?” The interruption causes a philosophical crisis for Margot onstage as she ponders the significance of the question, allowing herself to be distracted once again into agonizing...