Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel, tells about the reign of Henry VIII up through his marriage to Anne Boleyn.   Thomas Cromwell is Henry's fixer - he is the go between for Anne and Henry, and takes Henry's claims of a "false" marriage to Catherine to court.  But the book is told from Thomas' point of view, in the present tense.  It begins with Thomas as a young teenager. 

The book begins:
 "So now get up."
   Felled, dazed, silent, he has fallen; ....

There was much discussion on Good Reads about this use of pronouns to refer to Thomas.  You don't find out his name until after he has crawled off to his sister's house.  What do you think of this usage?  Do you feel close to Thomas, in his head so to speak? Or, are you alienated by the consistent use of pronouns to refer to Thomas?

One suggestion I have is, if you are not familiar with Thomas Cromwell in English history, read a bit about him in Wikipedia or BBC History.  Here is an interview with Hilary Mantel about Thomas Cromwell.

Let us know what you think in the comments section.