Point of View

The novel is related with two differing points of view. The primary narrative structure, which opens and closes the novel, is related from a first person, limited point of view using present tense in an almost autobiographical style by Steve York, the narrator and principle protagonist. Steve, throughout the novel, writes a lengthy report that summarizes his experiences of the past few years. Steve's report is presented, without commentary, in numerous sections that are interspersed throughout the primary structure. Steve's report thus constitutes about one half of the novel and is related from a first person, somewhat limited, point of view using the past tense. With the benefit of hindsight, Steve will often fill in details about events or other characters in his report that he could not have known at the time they occurred.

This dual point of view, coupled with a somewhat complex chronology...