When novels are narrated through the stream technique, the author's purpose is not just to entertain but to travel back and forth without a specific order, and sending his or her personal thoughts along the way while not necessarily taking part of the action.

Irving is not the narrator of the story. In fact, we do not know exactly who the narrator is. What we do know is that such narrator is omnicient and subjective, and speaks in third person. This style is indicative of a stream of consciousness which is not as well-rounded as traditional narrative, but does infuse more feeling than the more normative techniques.