Point of View

The novel is written in third person from the limited perspectives of Charlie and/or Margaret Marder. The limitations mean the the reader knows only what these two characters know at any given time. There are a few situations that are more strictly limited. For example, Charlie and Margaret find a folder containing some specific information in a members-only room at the Library of Congress. Charlie reads the contents of the folder then arranges for copies of the contents. However, the reader does not know what is in this folder until later when Charlie reveals the contents on live television.

In most scenes, the novel follows Charlie because he is typically in the thick of the action. Margaret spends some time in Maryland where she is studying the ponies of Nanticoke Island, and the author occasionally changes the perspective so that the reader knows what...