Point of View

The story is written from a limited perspective but the point of view varies, depending on the setting and characters. In some cases, as in the chapters devoted to Marinus, the story is written in first person.

The Atemporals who are resurrected randomly alternate the gender of their hosts with every resurrection. For example, Marinus is a male psychiatrist when he sees the teenaged Holly. By the time they meet again decades later, Marinus has been resurrected into a new body and this time he is a female named Iris. For the sake of clarity in this study guide, the Atemporals who change genders are referred to as the gender in which they are originally introduced. That means Marinus is referred to as “he” even when he is in the body of Iris.

The limited perspective means the reader is left in the dark about...