Point of View

The novel’s perspective is formulated in a distinct and multi-layered way, for although Edward is the main character, William is the narrator. When William narrates his father’s final days of life, he uses the first person and the present tense. Otherwise, he uses the third person and the past tense to tell his father’s story. Additionally, because William’s only knowledge of his father comes from direct observation and from Edward’s exaggerated/fabricated stories, the narrative of Edward’s life can only be told by William through these degrees of separation and fictionalization. However, the perspective of Edward is still present in that Edward was the original teller of his own personal stories. Thus, the specific contents and descriptions of the stories reflect Edward’s own goals and sensibilities regarding his conception of his own life story.

The novel explores the...