Point of View

The author writes the novel from an omniscient third person point of view. The narrator's voice is malleable and expansive, moving from one character to the next, and capable of adopting and conveying each one's internal and external experiences. When the narrator moves closest to the characters, she at times employs a first or second person perspective. In the sections labeled with "Chorus," the narrator often uses a first person plural point of view, calling out as the collective voice of the Abyssinian people. The narrative perspective, therefore, grants the novel a widened emotional sphere. She moves between settings and consciousness with ease, able to explore the deepest secret longings and fears of each significant character.

As a result, the reader feels she knows each character equally, is able to imagine the present reality and deep past of each disparate identity, including Hirut, Aster, Kidane...