Point of View

The novel is written in the third person and the last tense. Danny is the only point-of-view character. As a result, the reader gains an intimate awareness of the many difficult struggles that Danny experiences. He had to flee his home country for his own safety. Then, because he was denied refugee status in Australia, he has had to love for four years as an illegal immigrant. The novel directly illustrates the mental and emotional strain that Danny suffers in a daily basis, as he lives in constant fear of being arrested and deported back to Sri Lanka, where his life could be in danger. In addition, he is aware that law enforcement officers sometimes murder illegal immigrants after arresting them. By exploring the perspective of such a marginalized individual, the novel seeks to illuminate the inherent cruelty of xenophobic policies such as strict anti-immigration...