The story is told in the past tense and third person, from Aaron Falk's point of view, and with flashbacks from various characters threaded throughout. What is the effect of this? How does it shape your understanding of Aaron and the other characters?

Jane Harper has chosen to tell this story in the past tense and third person, from Aaron Falk's point of view, and with flashbacks from various characters threaded throughout. What is the effect of this? How does it shape your understanding of Aaron himself, as well as of the other characters in the novel?

If the entire story was told in third person, from Aaron's point of view, the reader would have missed out on valuable information and nuisances. The novel as written, gave fullness to each of the characters.

Being told in this manner helped us to know Aaron that much better. We had not only his inner thoughts, but also the thoughts of other people in reference to individual actions, which allowed us to also know them a bit better.

It kept us a little ahead of Aaron in nearly every instance. He told his story as it happened but we got insights into things he hadn't known. The last of these ended the book without Aaron really knowing them. See my comment regarding the overall book.

This narration is truly effective in character development which the author handles very well. We are able to get into Aaron's head while at the same time we have a view or other's actions and reactions. This gives us keen insight into major actors in this drama.

I loved the shift from the present to the flashbacks and agree with susie j's response. The only time it was troublesome for me was when Aaron found Ellie's diary. I would like to have read her diary entries in the first person.

I think this way of telling the story fills the reader in on "all" the story, not just parts of it. Flashbacks have a definite use in getting the story out there! Helping us, the readers, to understand!

Background information makes for good writing and what a way for an author to reach that information! The story flowed so very well that the ease of belief and understanding of the story line was flawless.

Susiej I agree with your comment. The flashbacks give us insight into other characters thoughts and actions.

It worked perfectly in helping to develop the characters and understand the thoughts of others.

I like hearing the perspective of others, especially from the past. It was easy to follow with the use of italics. We seem to have a number of books from different voices and times. This was one of the easiest to follow but I wonder when authors will return to a straight narrative.

I think it is an effective technique because we learn just enough information each time to be engaged in the mystery. We learn about the past in a way that the characters only know in pieces.

I enjoy stories told from many points of view. It seems to round the characters and storylines out because the more than one voice giving more than one angle. We can experience events from many actors and with varying motivations.

Often when this trilogy of times is presented I am sometimes confused. NOT in this book as said previously it is done in a way that gives one a complete picture of who Aaron & others are the adults that they have become.

The way it was written was awesome in the past tense & flashbacks, the reader can see the progression of the characters.

I liked the addition of the flashbacks. It gave us the background we needed to understand the story and why some things happened the way the did. The repetition of the flashback incident between Ellie and her father was also an effective way to tell what happened from two points of view.