Point of View

In Young Mungo, Stuart’s use of the third-person perspective helps to create a sense of narrative alliance that belies the isolation with which Mungo grapples throughout the novel. While Stuart concentrates much of the narrative focus on Mungo, he frequently slips into an authorial omniscience in order to communicate the thoughts and emotions of other characters. Often, this choice allows the reader to view Mungo through other characters’ eyes. Early in the novel, Stuart writes, “Mungo had high cheekbones and a refined brow that Jodie, with her plump cheeks and stub nose, would have killed for… [Mungo’s] brother and sister shared his chestnut hair and light olive complexion, so different from their mousy, wan mother… Jodie had to admit that Mungo wore it best” (29). Here, Stuart reveals Jodie’s relative envy of her brother’s appearance; Stuart easily explores this dynamic through his...