Point of View

Fife is the protagonist and point-of-view character. The novel is written from Fife’s perspective, and the main narrative consists of his recollections of his own past experiences. Fife narrates his life retrospectively. He is in his late seventies and is dying of cancer. His imminent mortality affects his perspective and his motivation for recounting his life. He feels the urgent need to fully and truthfully express himself before he dies, so that he does not die without being truly known. Also for this reason, he seems to focus on particularly shameful events from his past, as he wishes to overcome that shame and those regrets by admitting them.

The retrospective nature of the novel also functions to meld Fife’s present perspective with his past perspectives, while also raising questions of memory and truth. For example, Fife’s present-day regrets contrast with his past...