Point of View

This story is told from the point of view of a third-person narrator. A good deal of this narration focuses on Wilde, who is a central character, but there are also sections of the novel that focus on Matthew and Hester. A first-person point of view would not have worked in this novel because it would have taken the focus off the story. While the novel is titled The Boy From the Woods, it is not about Wilde as much as that title suggests. It is more about the way Wilde responds to and interprets the things happening around him. For instance, Wilde is able to connect to Naomi because they are both outcasts, as Naomi tells Wilde that she is not afraid of him because: “I’m drawn to outcasts” (101).

Chapter 1 is unique because Coben uses the narrative technique stream of consciousness. In this...