Point of View

The Point of View in this novel is constantly shifting. Often, a single chapter will change perspectives multiple times, sometimes delving into characters’ perspectives for only a few paragraphs. For example, readers only enter the perspective of Mitch, a lounge singer in a bar Dale and Pete are frequenting, for a short two pages. In this way, the reader always knows more about the history and motivating factors in minor characters’ lives much more completely than the characters in the novel do.

These shifting, third-person viewpoints demonstrate the varied lives and perspectives of south Londoners. From descriptions of the landscape and the people who populate this area, readers can think that all south Londoners have similar backgrounds. In contrast, though, Tempest’s regular Point of View shifts highlight the unique backstories that create the cast of characters readers meet, however briefly. In this way, each...