Point of View

David Constantine tells his novel The Life-Writer from several points of view. An unknown narrator tells most of the novel from the third person point of view. The narrator often ventures into stream-of-consciousness territory as the thoughts and ideas of characters are laid out in real-time, with one thought progressing to the next and the next. This allows readers a privileged access into the minds of characters –specifically Katrin. It also allows readers to see how the characters determine a course of action and how they transform This is especially important for Katrin as she begins to move beyond Eric’s death.

Parts of the novel assume a first-person narrative mode as well, coming by way of Eric 's personal letters and actual material from Katrin’s writings on Eric. Eric's letters are from Monique, Daniel, and other people who were part of Eric’s...