Point of View

The novel is narrated in the present tense and the first person from David’s perspective. Much of the novel does not relate specific moments or conversations, but rather relates more general summaries of different points in David’s life. This idea, coupled with the fact that the narration is in present tense, creates a slight paradox in the narrative formation of David’s perspective. He is implicitly narrating his life as it happens, and his narration is often general instead of specific. The main effect of this mode of perspective is that at each point in the novel, David can only reflect upon past parts of the narrative, and he must therefore experience each new development as it occurs.

Another narrative consequence of this perspective is that David may only directly relate his own thoughts. Therefore, he must infer and intuit the thoughts and...