The novel is written in the first person, as a reflection on the state of the author's mind as he moves through a summer full of both solitude and intense interaction with friends and alcohol. He is speaking from a place of reflection on these things, and so alludes throughout to the fact that he will be going insane before the close of the story. For that reason, he is able to point out the elements of the story that contribute to that madness, or will later play a role in it.