Point of View

The novel contains short poems, philosophical passages, and character narratives collected by a writer named Everett. If there is one main narrator it is Everett. However, the passages are written from a variety of individual perspectives. Almost all of the passages are written in the first-person narrative form as Everett is working on several biographical compositions. However, many of the passages are also composed in third-person point of view and many of them are poems or songs. The largest portions of the stories are narrated by Everett and Mr. Blumenthal, although Everett is writing the recollections from Mr. Blumenthal’s perspective.

Setting

The various sections of the book are set in many locations. The main setting is New York City, where the present-day characters live. Everett is a lifelong resident of New York and the city develops into its own character in the novel. Parts...