Point of View

The point of view of this novel is first person. The narrator is the main character, Paul Kemp. Paul reports to the reader his observations as well as the events that transpire around him. At times, Paul is the main character and at other times, he reports on things that have taken place outside of his scope of knowledge. The novel is written in past tense rather than present tense, suggesting events that have already taken place and are being reported on after the fact, as if the reader is reading a diary or a personal essay on the events described.

This point of view works because it gives the impression of reading a personal diary. The reader feels more deeply drawn in due to the intimacy of the point of view. Since the novel lacks other intimacies, such as in-depth character back stories, this sense...