Narrator and point of view

The autobiography Greetings from Bury Park is narrated in the first person by Sarfraz Manzoor, who is also the main character. The narrator presents the events that took place mainly between 1971 – the year of his birth – and 2007 – the year when the memoir was published. These events are told in retrospect, strictly from Sarfraz’s perspective, which makes readers empathize with him and his experiences.

However, the narrator presents some events that took place before he was born, most likely as he heard them from others. For example, he talks about his parents’ controversial marriage, which he most likely learned about from their stories:

Mohammed Manzoor and Rasool Bibi married in 1960 – neither could recall the precise date – amidst controversy. My father’s family were against the marriage because they thought he could do better. Mohammed’s brothers and sisters could not understand why he was willing to marry someone with such poor prospects when there were other more attractive girls available. (My Father’s House, 11%)

Throughout the memoir, the narrator’s tone is mainly analytical, as Sarfraz tries to understand his complicated relationship with his father. For example, when he talks about the differen...