The View from Saturday | Literary Qualities

The View from Saturday Literary Qualities

Anyone reading The View from Saturday is likely to notice the novel's unusual structure. It has six separate voices telling the story. One voice is third-person omniscient, a voice that has the God-like power to read people's minds and tell anything about the events transpiring. Another voice is third-person limited, a voice that focuses on Mrs. Olinski and limits itself to her perceptions and thoughts.

The other four voices are first person, each the voice of one of The Souls.

Such experimentation with narrative voices can be fun, a roller coaster ride through the thoughts and feelings of characters. It also requires thought on the part of readers, especially when the voices overlap and give more than one version of an event such as the "cripple" incident. It invites readers to seek out the truth for themselves in the various narratives, while promoting awareness of the...
(read more)