What is the author's style in The First Seven Years by Bernard Malamud?

The story is told by a limited third person narrator from the point of view of Feld. No direct insight is given into the minds of Max, Miriam, or Sobel. They are revealed only by their words, their actions, and through Feld's perceptions. Telling the story from Feld's point of view means that he becomes a sympathetic figure; the reader understands his thoughts and feelings. But there is also irony in the method. Part of the effectiveness of the storytelling technique lies in the fact that there is so much that Feld does not notice, but which is plainly apparent to the reader.