Perspective

The book is written in first person from George Ritchie's point of view. This is the only possibility because the story is George's story and only he could tell it. It is interesting that he's telling it to a patient, and this does make the story a bit more engaging than it would likely have been had George simply begun telling it. It's almost as if telling it to the patient, Fred Owens, gives a reason for the telling. There are some things that are left to the reader's imagination or interpretation. For example, George tells of his travels in very vague terms - that he was moving above the treetops but lower than a plane would have flown.

Tone

The book is written in easy-to-read first person with an informal tone throughout the book. Though the subject matter is deep and the book could easily have gone...