Point of View

The Book of Strange New Things is written with a limited third person view, with the narrator focusing on Peter as the main character. For the most part, the story is presented in a linear fashion. Every so often though, Peter will flash back to a time where he was still a wild and rambunctious youth, or he’ll briefly focus on some of the time that he first spent with Bea. Peter’s thoughts are very important to the reader because there are long stretches where he isn’t directly interacting with anyone. When Peter and Bea are writing to one another, the book momentarily shifts to a first person perspective to reflect who had written the letter, however these sections are still frequently interrupted by Peter chiming in with his thoughts.

Language and Meaning

Because of the religious nature of the book, many...