Point of View

Solar Bones is narrated by the ghost of Marcus Conway in the present tense. For most of the novel, however, Conway reflects on the events of his life, narrating these past events in the perfect tense. In this way, Solar Bones is mostly comprised of a first-person narrator, speaking in retrospect. However, throughout his reflections on his past life, Conway reminds the reader of his present moment, saying things like, "[there is] something different about moving through the house today" (27). These narratorial asides bring the reader back to Conway's present moment, sitting in his kitchen table. In addition to these narratorial asides, the Angelus Bell's ringing reminds the reader of the precise date -- All Souls' Day -- on which Conway's narration takes place.

Because the reader knows something about Conway's situation that Conway does not -- in this case, that Conway is dead --...