What is the author's style in Messenger by Lois Lowry?

The point of view of Messenger is third person limited omniscient that focuses primarily on Matty's character. The narrative allows the reader to follow Matty's journey through both thoughts and descriptions of his actions. Since the main theme of the book relates to Matty's journey of self-discovery and growth, the narrative point of view plays an important role in revealing crucial plot elements. The thoughts of other characters are hidden and must be interpreted through Matty's point of view. The narrator tracks Matty's emotional growth as a boy who is jealous of his friend's Gaming Machine to a man who sacrifices himself to heal the world. By not being privy to the thoughts and feelings of surrounding characters, the reader is able to discover the mysteries surrounding Matty's burgeoning gift, Trade Mart and the peculiar changes in the community alongside the story's protagonist.

The story unfolds through Matty's eyes in sequential order with a few memory flashbacks that provide background detail surrounding his character and journey. On rare occasions and for brief periods of time, the point of view changes from Matty to Leader, who watches over Village, giving the reader additional context of the character setting. Dialogue plays an important role in the story, revealing information about the characters Matty interacts with and driving the plot forward.