Point of View

The novel is written in the third person and, with only a few exceptions, is written from John Smith's point of view; Smith is the central character in almost every scene in the novel. In those few scenes where Smith is not present, the point of view is that of the character around whom the action is centered. The author often presents Smith's unspoken thoughts and feelings (and occasionally those of other characters) outside of normal description or conversation; this helps to keep the reader situated at all times, and provides a perspective on the action and events that would have been impossible to achieve otherwise.

The narrative is very heavily weighted towards descriptive prose, with the author spending a large amount of time ensuring that the reader sees and feels what Smith and the other major characters do. There is also a considerable amount of...