Point of View

The point of view in The Third Hotel is third-person, limited to Clare’s, the only main character in the novel, thoughts, actions, and memories. While using this type of narration, van den Berg allows the reader to follow Clare closely while she searches for closure after the death of her husband. A third-person narrator with a limited scope captivates the audience with Clare’s adventure. This may force readers to reflect on their own relationships, while Clare is struggling with her identity, family and marriage

The narrator is unreliable, describing what Clare believes to be true and happening. Clare herself is not sure of the actual events that happened in Havana, seemingly stuck in a dream-like state. She questions whether she interacted with Richard, saw a ghost, or projected him onto a stranger. Using this narration helps to engulf the reader in the magical...