Point of View

With the exception of the novel’s prologue, which follows a scene from Maxima’s point of view, The Son of Good Fortune has a third-person omniscient narrator who refers to the thoughts, memories, and motivations of Excel. As a result, the reader experiences the narrative through Excel’s eyes, while having little insight regarding other characters’ internality. The point of view is objective and reliable, making it explicit to readers that its narration draws its perspective from Excel. Because the narrator focuses on Excel’s experiences and emotions, but does not do the same for the other main characters, Excel becomes the novel’s de facto protagonist. The narrator does not intervene with the narrative, or express any biases towards Excel, instead presenting Excel’s thoughts matter-of-factly and allowing the reader to evaluate and analyze for themselves.

By focusing on Excel’s point of...