Water Moon

Water Moon is written from the third-person point of view. The narrator shifts between the primary characters’ consciousness throughout the novel. This means that in some passages, the narrator inhabits Hana’s interiority and describes the narrative world according to her lens. In other passages, the narrator inhabits Keishin’s, Izumi’s, or Toshio’s interiorities and describes the narrative world according to their lenses. This narrative fluidity expands the novel’s scope and deepens its thematic explorations. For example, both Hana and Keishin are thematically in Pursuit of Happiness. By allowing the narrator to access both characters’ inner worlds, the author shows how each individual’s search for fulfillment is unique.

Additionally, the third-person narrator’s mobility adds dimension to each of the primary characters. The narrator isn’t strictly omniscient and therefore doesn’t tell readers how to perceive Hana, Keishin, Toshio, or Chiyo, for example. Instead, the narrator describes each character from the other characters’ vantage points, thus showing their complexity. The way that Keishin sees Hana isn’t the same way that Toshio, Chiyo, or even Hana sees her. The differences among their various outlooks nuance readers’ perception of truth and reality and challenge them to make their own interpretations of the characters and their magical world.