Point of View

The point of view of the novel is first person. The reader experiences the entire narrative through the voice, thoughts, and actions of Charlie Beckham as though he were explaining the event to us long after it has taken place. Charlie's reliability as a narrator actually turns out to be fairly important to the plot, since he is thought to be paranoid until he discovers this is not in fact the case. Charlie is a very good judge of character, and the reader is often able to glimpse insights into other character's thoughts and actions through Charlie's appraisal of them. Due to the importance of Charlie's family life and the voice in which he relates his story to the reader, this point of view is critical to the novel as a whole.

The story is told through exposition, dialogue, and action. Charlie often uses colorful...