Point of View

Dominic Smith tells his novel The Last Painting of Sara de Vos from the third-person, omniscient point of view of an unknown narrator. The narrator is outside of time, often speaking about the future even though present events are only just unfolding. Sometimes, the narrator leaves the present time to speak only about events in the future as they will occur, such as in the chapter “Amsterdam/Berckhey, Spring 1656,” which begins in the present but ends in future tense.

The narrator also moves the novel from one century to the next, back and forth, weaving through time and creating a narrative that is seamless despite the change in times and settings. Because the narrator speaks of each of the three main characters in turn, the narrator and the reader know everything going on while the characters themselves do not.

Language and Meaning

Dominic Smith tells...