Point of View

The entire novel is told from the perspective of an omniscient narrator. The narrator's voice is entirely neutral throughout the narrative. In the first chapter, the groundwork for the mystery is quickly established with Elena Weaver's death. After walking the reader through Elena Weaver's brief morning, the narrator states that, "[Elena] had less than fifteen minutes to live" (pg. 4.) This signals the reader that (a) Elena Weaver is a key character and that (b) her death is the crux of what occurs in the remainder of the narrative. In addition, the introduction of the Sarah Gordon character soon after Elena's death establishes Gordon as another important figure in the story. However, her relationship to Elena is not illuminated until much later.

In the case of this novel, the use of an omniscient narrator insures that the reader has an objective view of everything that happens from...