What strikes me the most is the various POV's throughout the opening scene. It feels as though we are watching from the eyes of the protagonist throughout most of the opening. He is watching the children playing, then watching the woman on the balcony. It seems as though he has followed her inside to the stairs, where he continues to watch as the woman rings the doorbell and speaks to the mother, outside watching school let out for lunch, etc. I felt this throughout, until he makes himself a part of the action by speaking with the young girl. Even then he is a shadow.
It gave me a sense tha