Point of View

The novel is told in the third person in the past tense, with an omniscient narrator. Despite being written in the third person, the novel in nevertheless presented entirely from the perspective of Fiona Maye. No events occur in the novel without Fiona being there to witness them and the perspectives of all the other characters are filtered through Fiona’s own perspective and her interpretation of their actions and words. This use of Point of View reflects Fiona’s occupation as a high court judge. When Fiona is at work different people present different, and often diametrically opposed, arguments to her but it is ultimately Fiona’s own interpretation of what everyone else says and does which constitutes the final say in the matter from a legal perspective.

The use of Point of View narrows the focus of the novel to Fiona’s interior...