Point of View

So Much Blue is told in the first person, from the perspective of the narrator Kevin Pace. This point of view allows the reader access into Kevin’s inner thoughts and personality, which lends a significant layer of meaning to the novel. Kevin’s self-deprecation and constant self-analysis throughout his affair in the ‘Paris’ sections demonstrate the importance of this access: without comments such as “What was Victoire for me? A drug? Some thrill that replaced a drug? I was using this young woman” (145), the sections may have veered into clichéd territory, considering the often-used subject matter of an affair between an older man and a younger woman. Instead, Kevin’s perspective imbues the narrative with a layer of introspection and doubt.

The first person point of view is also effective because Kevin is frank with the reader: he introduces a tone of regret...