Point of View

Blake Crouch tells his novel Pines from the third-person limited omniscient perspective. This is done for at least three reasons. First, the third-person perspective allows Crouch to tell the novel with scenes focusing on Ethan’s efforts and Theresa’s experiences, meaning that the reader is able to understand things as both Ethan and Theresa see and understand them. This leads into the second reason –which is to add mystery to the overall plot by way of time discrepancies and plot issues (such was when Pope tells Ethan he has contacted Ethan’s wife, and Theresa and Hassler knowing there has been no word from, or of Ethan, in fifteen months). Thirdly, the limited-omniscient perspective allows readers only to know as much as the characters as the characters learn them, also adding to the sense of urgency and mystery in the plot.

Language and Meaning