Point of View

"The City & the City" is written in the third person point of view, from the perspective of author. The novel swings back and forth between the present and the past. The present represents the time after the murder. The past represents the time leading up to the separation of the two cities—Beszel and Ul Qoma.

The point of view of this novel is intimate, allowing a reader to connect closely with each of the characters. The book written in this manner allows the reader to get inside the head, thoughts and inner struggles that each of the characters are experiencing as it pertains to the plot. The point of view also allows the author to inject his own opinions into the narration and to expand on the events taking place around the other characters and the occurrences taking place.

Setting

The novel is set...