Point of View

Hillerman uses a third person, limited omniscient narrator throughout the novel. The central character of a chapter -- that is, the character whose eyes we see "though" -- may change from chapter to chapter, rotating between the four major characters Bernie, Chee, Aza Palmer, and Leaphorn. For instance, Chapter 9 is told through the perspective of Chee, as evidenced by the chapter's final sentence (which does not contain dialogue): "His friend looked sleepy, Chee thought, and that meant nothing had happened worth getting excited about" (112). Chapter 10, however, is told through the perspective of Bernie, as is immediately evident in the first sentence of that chapter: "Bernadette Manuelito could be patient when she had to be, with her mother for instance, or with a stressed-out crime victim" (113).

While there are none of the more obvious hallmarks of an unconventional narrator in this novel, there is a bizarre...