Point of View

Intermezzo is written from the third person point of view. Over the course of the novel, this third person narrator shifts between the primary characters’ psyches and alternates between describing the narrative world according to Peter Koubek’s, Ivan Koubek’s, and Margaret Kearns’ points of view. In Chapter 1, for example, the narrator’s lens is strictly limited to Peter’s point of view. As a result, Peter’s regard for himself, his family members, and the world around him dictate how the narrator renders the narrative conflicts, stakes, and relationships. For example, when the narrator describes Ivan’s appearance at their father’s funeral, she is describing him according to Peter’s perspective: “Didn’t seem fair on the young lad. That suit at the funeral. With the braces on his teeth, the supreme discomfort of the adolescent. On such occasions, one could almost...