Point of View

Most of the novel is written in the past tense and the third person, with Strafford as the point-of-view character. Although the narration is in the third person, it is limited to Strafford’s perspective. The narration often conveys Strafford’s internal thoughts. However, the reader does not have access to the other characters’ thoughts, only the words and actions of those characters, as observed by Strafford. Strafford’s perspective is defined by a mixture of moralism and nihilism. On one hand, his thoughts and actions seem governed by the desire to bring criminals to justice. On the other hand, Strafford seems to feel helpless before the mystery of what drives anyone—including himself—to do anything in particular. Meanwhile, he also believes that no one can be purely evil, but that belief is tested when he becomes more aware of the actions of certain...