Point of View

The author writes The Bird King from an omniscient third person point of view. While this narrative perspective possesses a wide access to the world of the novel and each its characters, the point of view most closely follows the protagonist Fatima's experience. By inhabiting this vantage, the author is able to provide a comprehensive view into the cultural, political, and religious dynamics which dictate Fatima's evolving reality. While the narrator often moves inside Fatima's interior, her removal from Fatima's consciousness allows her to grant the reader an unbiased understanding of Fatima's character.

The third person also holds a knowledge of the world beyond Fatima's individual and narrow experience. The narrator seems as much a guide to Fatima as she is to the reader. The third person furthermore understands those lessons Fatima is working to learn throughout her journey. Because the author does not tell...