The small number of characters may indicate that Doctorow has thought of World's Fair as a novel quite different in kind from Ragtime. If the earlier novel resembles an epic with a very large cast and plenty of action, then World's Fair is closer to a lyric poem with one principal voice and few events beyond the subtle changes of mood and tone. Not many contemporary novels are so dependent upon the modulation of a single voice.

The success of World's Fair is largely due to the introspective drama of the child narrator. Edgar Altschuler is a sensitive and thoughtful boy with a mind like a seismograph that records each hint of doubt or concern that runs through his family. He also possesses an amazing memory for the fears and aspirations of childhood. The novel reads like a tour de force of total recall.

The other characters of...