Point of View

The first thing to note about the novel’s point of view is that it is constantly shifting: for the most part, chapters alternate between being narrated from the perspective of either white assault victim Larry Ott or black investigating police officer Silas Jones. The only exception is the final chapter, in which point of view shifts between the two characters within the chapter itself. . A second point to note is that whichever point of view is the focus in a given chapter, narration is always written from the third person limited perspective: that is, each chapter is about either Larry or Silas but explores and/or gets into the thoughts, feelings, interpretations, and/or the reactions (in other words, the inner life) of only that character. Other characters are portrayed through the interpretation of whichever of the two primary characters holds narrative focus in...