Point of View

The novel is told entirely from the perspective of Victor, who is an experienced investigator and highly-educated reader of literature and history. While other characters speak, the reader's knowledge of what they are saying, and their manner of delivery, is filtered through Victor’s narration. Everything the reader knows about Victor, his case, and his world are filtered through the voice and viewpoint of Victor, which, as is the case for any first person narrative, renders Victor’s narrative to be unreliable. For example, Victor expresses, throughout the narrative contradictory viewpoints and beliefs about his service as a Marshal, sometimes praising himself for his talent for finding hidden escaped slaves and sometimes damning himself for his actions. Also, his memories of Castle - who he idolizes as a near mythic figure (“Castle’s eyes would get so wide in the dark. Castle’s bright and...