Point of View

The novel is written in first-person from the limited perspective of Ven. As the novel opens, Ven is a little boy playing in the forest with his friend. For most of the novel, Ven is an adult who holds an important position with the main religion of this society, known as Temple. Ven's personal views naturally play a role in his perspective. One important factor is that he is always willing to see the possibility that the kakuy – the center of this religion – is real. He is also willing to accept that there may be natural explanations for all the things that the kakuy are reportedly doing. While this may make some readers trust him more, it also means there are many issues that have no succinct answers.

Ven works as a spy for the Temple, and he spends a lot of time undercover. For...