Point of View

This book takes the omniscient point of view, which traditionally is considered difficult to use effectively. The authors delve into the thoughts of many characters, often beginning a chapter with a new viewpoint as they tell a particular character's story. The effect, of course, is to deepen that individual's characterization, because the reader not only sees action but is given the internal motivation for it. One potential drawback to this technique is that the narrative can become fractured or diffuse. A related problem is that no character might become richly developed, as usually occurs when the point of view is more restricted. It could become difficult to pick out the hero or protagonist, and the novel might read like an ensemble piece, lacking a character-driven focus. This novel copes well with the first potential problem of a fractured narrative, because the characters play various important roles...