Point of View

The novel’s narration is written in the third person and the past tense. The narration is limited to Journeyman’s perspective. He is the protagonist and sole point-of-view character. Notably, despite being the protagonist, Journeyman has virtually no active role in the story. Throughout the novel, the story’s major events merely happen in his proximity, and so he functions more as a passive observer than an active individual. Arguably, his most significant role in the story is the connection he inadvertently creates between Todbaum and Maddy. Journeyman also functions as the interpreter and surrogate for the audience, as he provides exposition and background information to give context to the novel’s events.

Despite the fact that Journeyman is the only character who perspective is directly conveyed by the narration, the novel also manages to explore the other characters’ perspectives via their words and...