Point of View

The Paris Bookseller is written from a third person limited point of view in order to anchor the novel as a work of historical fiction. While the novel depicts Sylvia Beach’s life in Paris during the 1920s, Maher diverges from a biographical account of the late bookkeeper’s life in order to explore the intimate interactions and relationships between her and other artists at the time. The narrative sections, that include Sylvia’s inner thoughts and emotions, imagine into her experience of sexual tension, creative frustration, and loss. By granting the reader access to these intimate experiences, Maher develops an emotional connection between the reader and the protagonist. While Sylvia is a historical figure, the point of view dismantles the barrier between her and the modern reader. The relevancy of her life as a queer woman and an artist is not confined to a...