Wait, is "The Witness" considered a narrative of witness in a legal or a philosophical sense? The title could refer to both. How does Saer blend these concepts? The structure of the book has a narrator who recounts encounters with others, which might reflect on the idea of witnessing as a means to understand others or oneself.

Much of the book deals with the boy’s inability to fully grasp the tribe’s language or explain their rituals to the Spanish crown.

Saer’s work is less a traditional historical novel and more an inquiry into the and language . Juan José Saer's The Witness, a novel found on many lists

This is a debate that divides the literary community.