Point of View

Talking God is written in third person omniscient point of view. Different chapters and in some cases different scenes within the same chapter are told in the point of view of a different character. This technique is essential because there is no one character who is privy to all the details of the story. In particular, Office Jim Chee and Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn are each investigating a different crime. The point of view shifts are managed deftly and seamlessly, so that the reader feels great emotional involvement in the story by seeing it through a character's eyes. The different points of view in alternating chapters also inherently increase the tension in the story, as the reader eagerly awaits the next step in Leaphorn's or Chee's investigation.

The first chapter is the only one told from Catherine Morris Perry's point of view, and in fact, Perry is...