Point of View

The novel’s narration is written in the first person and the past tense. The novel’s unnamed narrator is the sole point-of-view character. The narrator’s thoughts and opinions are integral to the tone, narrative, and themes of the novel, as her perspective is the filter through which all information is conveyed to the reader. For example, a primary source of dramatic tension in the novel is the question of whether Adriaan with return to The Hague to be with the narrator, or whether he will resume his relationship with his wife. The reason this question has importance in the narrative is because it is important to the narrator. The exact reasons behind the narrator’s love for Adriaan are unclear (which may function as a comment on the ineffability of one’s own feelings) but the mere fact of narrator’s desire for...