Point of View

The author's point of view begins as first person. For the first few chapters, Troy Phelan is speaking directly to the reader. This is effective for demonstrating Troy's state of mind to the reader. Later, the book transitions to third person point of view. At the time of the transition more characters are introduced. The main focus switches from Troy to Nate. For the remainder of the novel Nate remains the main character, but the novel would not have been as evocative without the use of first person point of view at the beginning.

Setting

The novel has multiple settings. It alternates between the Phelan Group corporate building, the courthouse, Walnut Hill, Corumba, St. Michaels and the Pantanal. The Phelan Group building is only visited in the first few chapters. Troy lived on the top floor and had offices below. For the psychiatric evaluation, he had...