Point of View

Hans Olav Lahlum tells his novel “The Human Flies” in the first-person reflective limited-omniscient perspective from the point of view of K2. This is done because it is K2 himself who is recalling the events of his own past years after the fact. This is evidenced in many places, such as in the final chapter of the novel where he talks about an event which occurs “several decades later” after Patricia has died. The first-person aspect of the narrative gives the reader intimate insight and personal glimpses into the mind frame and thought process of K2 as he attempts to solve the case, collecting and sorting through evidence and information with Patricia. The limited-omniscient aspect of the narrative means that the reader only learns about things as K2 reveals them to the reader. This creates a sense of suspense, drama, and mystery, which is fitting...