Point of View

The entire novel is written from the perspective of an omniscient narrator. That is to say, the person telling the story of Ned Wallis and his family is a neutral voice. The narrator is not involved in the story in any way. In addition, the narrator does not comment specifically on what happens in the story. The use of a neutral narrator gives the reader an opportunity to decide for him/herself what matters in the story and what does not matter as much. The omniscient narrator can be everywhere in the story all at once. For this reason, the story flows smoothly and unfolds in a way that helps the reader follow what happens to Ned and those around him.

The narrator simply tells the reader what goes on without giving an opinion which might influence the reader's interpretation of the events being presented. The...