Point of View

Similar to the novel’s unconventional structural attributes, the novel also employs unconventional approaches to perspective. The main point-of-view characters in the novel are Joseph and Warren, but the novel employs several different modes of perspective over the course of the novel, refusing to adhere consistently to any one mode of perspective regarding either character. For example, in places where the novel is following Joseph’s narrative, the novel sometimes employs the first person, thereby giving a direct account of Joseph’s thoughts and emotions. However, at other times, the novel uses the third person when following Joseph’s storyline, thereby adding a degree of separation between Joseph and the reader. The narration mostly uses the past tense when following Joseph’s storyline, but sometimes, when the narration uses the third person, it also uses the present tense.

The novel also demonstrates these unpredictable fluctuations...