Point of View

Close to Home is written from the first person point of view of the main character Sean Maguire. This means that Sean’s distinct manner of perceiving and processing the world around him drives the narrative’s central action and conflict. Having recently “moved back home” to Belfast after finishing his degree in English Literature, Sean finds himself experiencing a crisis of identity at the start of the novel (29). Because Belfast is the city in which he grew up, Sean quickly begins reverting to his old behavioral patterns. Although the place feels largely unchanged, Sean also notes in Chapter 4 that “everything felt different” (40). This is particularly because Sean’s inner world has begun to evolve while his hometown, his external world, has remained fixed. Therefore, Sean is living in conflict with his environment. The existential abrasion he feels in Belfast in turn charges his narrative...