Point of View

Apart from the last few pages of the novel, the narrative maintains a strict adherence to Smith’s perspective. The novel uses third-person narration, but it limits its scene descriptions to the thoughts and observations of Smith himself. However, this use of perspective is somewhat complicated by the fact that so much of the novel is structured around obfuscating Smith’s past and his intentions. Despite the fact that the narrative focuses on Smith’s perspective, it uses the third-person mode in order to maintain a distance between the reader and Smith. The reader must therefore accept occasional clues regarding Smith’s true intentions until they are revealed more explicitly at the end of the novel.

Smith’s perspective is conveyed to the reader in a somewhat indirect fashion, and the perspectives of the supporting characters are conveyed in an even more indirect fashion. Namely...