Point of View

A Guardian and a Thief uses a shifting third person limited point of view that moves between Ma, Boomba, and a small group of other characters. This structure lets the narrator stay close to each character’s fears, memories, and rationalizations while still keeping enough distance to highlight patterns they do not see. Early chapters largely follow Ma. The narration reflects her worries about climate visas, her pride in the house, and her sense that “all Ma needed to do was survive these seven days” (12). The close focus on Ma’s thoughts makes her anxieties about theft and loss feel urgent rather than abstract. Readers experience the shrinking of her world through suitcases, missing food, and bureaucratic delays rather than through broad commentary.

As the novel unfolds, however, the point of view shifts to Boomba and later to characters like Shanto, the influencer, and even...