Point of View

The author uses a third person omniscient narrator. The characters feelings and emotions are described by the narrator; the novel is not simply a distant telling of events. The different reactions and perspectives of each character are conveyed, providing the reader with a clearer picture of who they really are. The narrator conveys the emotions Ben Hadley uses to deceive the rest of the characters with. The reader is unaware that his emotions are staged until the end of the novel.

Language and Meaning

The description of events is told in an emotive way; how characters are personally affected by what is occurring. Jane Neal’s body is not simply found and examined, it evokes sympathy and sadness in Gamache. We feel Clara’s terror when she is kidnapped by Ben. The sadness Matthew feels about his distant son is told in a way that...