The author has written other books in this form, with each chapter told by a different character, with links embedded. Why would a writer want to do this? Have you read other novels written this way? How is Silber’s different?
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This writing style makes you think! It’s a challenge to keep the characters and their respective perspectives straight, but it’s worth the effort. I enjoy this Author’s ability to create and weave the characters together while bringing in another dimension through the story told by a younger generation.
Yes, I have read other novels set up in this manner, one was her other book. I find them very enjoyable to read, if done with her level of skill. I always feel as if I am a privileged friend or sometimes a nosy neighbor peering into metaphorical windows, and seeing lives play out right in front of me. I find it makes me invested in each character and I enjoy looking for the links between their stories. It is a very interesting way of telling a story, it provides a framework to include various perspectives and time frames while creating characters that can attract interest and even loyalty.
Yes, I’ve read other books written in this style. It’s a challenging way to write, to be sure, and requires a great deal of skill to successfully execute. It is an effective storytelling technique for this type of tale and Silber deftly pulled the various narratives into a cohesive whole. I found a couple of the perspectives more superfluous than critical, but they were not without context and did bring depth to some of the other characters, emphasizing the book’s overarching themes of connectedness & cause and effect.
Silber’s use of the technique differed from other stories in which the characters’ journeys eventually bring them into contact with each other and their lives fully intersect. I kept waiting for that to happen in this book and it never did, which, again, served to further illustrate the point Silber was apparently trying to make about the ripple and long-ranging impacts of our actions and choices.
I have read other books written in this format and have enjoyed them. Silber has executed this style well but doesn’t seem to repeat any character’s chapter title which is unique to me. She includes a few chapters with minor characters, that confused me. I like how she started with Ivan and ended with Eddie, both main characters.
I have read others utilizing this technique, this is probably the best. It’s a lens to view the world from each characters POV and their place. I loved that everything wasn’t wrapped in a neat little package nor was everything spelled out.
I don’t think I’ve read a book written this way. I’m still miffed by it. I did enjoy it and would try another one with this style..
I have read other books with chapters told by different characters, but I don’t remember any with as many different characters’ viewpoints. I feel it leaves me with a broader perspective since I am getting different points of view.
Ihave read other books in this format, and I still remember (many years ago) one of the initial times that I read a book like this. I had to stop and look back a couple of pages to figure out what had happened. I do think that Silber handles this technique very well. Her writing style makes me curious about her other books,which I intend to read.
While I didn’t like the book, I like the format of having each chapter told by a different character but with links to the same story. Having different perspectives gives the story more depth.
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Yes, I’ve read other books like this. I like the idea of finding that thing thread that connects all of us in very mysterious ways! I did feel by chapter 3 the style was a bit robotic and not as well integrated as it could be…it just felt at times like each person was giving a biography about their lives with very little plot line running through. Was not my favorite book.
I’ve read books with different characters telling the story in different chapters, but this book was a challenge.
I think it’s a clever structure that shows how actions have reactions. It’s almost like the author tosses up a ball in the first chapter, and then passes it to the next character. The actions in that first chapter reverberate in the next, and even when we’re further removed from that first ball toss, how it affected the next person affects the one after and so on. It wasn’t quite a circle, but we did come back to Eddie and the surprise that he had survived and in fact, thrived, so it felt resolved to me.
I have read other books in this format but the characters were better linked so the story flowed around them. These characters seemed so random to me.
I think this style must give the author more flexibility in the plotting and more POVs can be included as well.
This is not a new format. It depends on the author whether the format works. I did not believe it worked well in this book. I waited for the culmination of the characters to get together and it never happened. This book was just too divided.
I have read other books in this style and I often enjoy them. It must be a challenge as a writer to keep all the connections straight.
I feel when authors do this, it is to show the true interconnectedness of humankind. I enjoyed Silber’s take on this.
I have read other books that use this format. Not my favorite style but the author did a good job here. I think it’s confusing in parts but makes the overall narrative complete. Interesting to see all of the characters thoughts.
I have read other books with this format and usually like it ! It does have my flipping the pages back and forth trying to remember how the characters intersect since this particular book doesn’t have the characters coming together. I do like to read the different perspectives from each character though.