Point of View

The novel is entirely filtered through Teresa’s first-person perspective, which defines how the reader engages with both her and the other characters. The absence of alternative points of view means that the reader never gains direct access to Petros’s inner life, or to John’s motivations, or even to more peripheral figures such as Xanthe or Niko. Their experiences and feelings are only available insofar as Teresa notices them, interprets them, or records what they tell her. This gives the novel a highly subjective texture: the world of the book is not an objective reality but the reality as perceived and reconstructed by Teresa.

The limitations of this point of view are especially apparent in relation to Petros. The text never supplies his private reflections on John’s attack or his role in Gareth’s death. Instead, what the reader receives is Teresa...