Point of View

The King at the Edge of the World is narrated in third-person omniscient point-of-view but focuses primarily on two protagonists, the Turkish doctor Mahmoud Ezzedine and the English spy Geoffrey Belloc. The novel begins with Ezzedine traveling to England with the Turkish ambassador, a fish out of water plotline that depicts the protagonist struggling to relate to the people and places he encounters and drawing comparisons between what he sees and what he recalls from home. This perspective is likely intended to inspire readers to rethink the preconceived notions they might have about the histories of the Ottoman Empire and England, as it is clear from Ezzedine's perception that he believes the former to be more advanced and enlightened than the latter. Ezzedine's perspective also demonstrates that the English and Scottish viewed the Turks with suspicion and disdain because they were foreigners and Muslims. Even...