Point of View

The novel is written from the third-person point of view. This third-person narrator alternates between inhabiting Christopher’s and Mal’s interior worlds. In the novel's opening chapters, for example, the narrator alternates between depictions of Christopher’s and Mal’s storylines. However, she uses the same tone and voice to describe both main characters’ worlds. For example, in “The Beginning,” the narrator says of Christopher’s experience: “It was a very fine day, until something tried to eat him” (1). Then in “The Beginning, Elsewhere,” the narrator says of Mal's experience: “It was a very fine day, until somebody tried to kill her” (2). The narrator is shifting between Christopher’s circumstances and Mal’s circumstances. However, her consistent narrative voice creates parallels between the characters' seemingly contrasting experiences. These same narrative principles apply throughout the novel. By using a common third person narrator, the author...