Perspective

Black Dog of Fate is written in first person perspective. This is vital to the story, in that the novel is about Peter Balakian's journey to find his Armenian roots and to discover the history of his ancestors. While the story is, at times, told in the third person as other individuals' testimonies about the genocide are discussed, the main flow of the novel is first person, whether the narrator is Peter, or other members of his family, or other eye witnesses. The point of view definitely adds to the story, in that only a person whose family has suffered so tremendously can speak with such authority about what occurred to the Armenian people. The first person point of view also allows readers to see the world as Peter sees it, which is important for the coming of age parts of the story. On the other hand, at...