Point of View

Throughout most of the novel, the narrator is a third-person, semi-omniscient narrator from the perspective of James Bond. The reader follows along with the story from James Bond's mind, seeing only the clues that Bond is exposed to and understanding only what Bond himself understands. In this way, the reader is absorbed into the mind and character of James Bond, who is truly the center of the novel.

However, the author uses shifts in point of view to build dramatic irony and suspense at key points during the novel. At the beginning of the novel, the author shifts the point of view slightly to tell the reader that Bond is being followed. The reader knows not only that Bond is being followed, but also that Bond does not know.

Later, the writer uses the same technique when Bond steals a piece of plastic at the Piz...