What did you think of the novel’s overall structure, with one character’s story flowing into the next?
I liked the structure. The blurb on the back calls the stories “parables” and if you think of them as learning stories, I think you make the read and book more meaningful. I learned a whole lot from reading this book.
I, too, liked the structure and the map that ping ponged across the globe. An effective visual for me. As I stated before, some connectives stories were too coincidental. Yet, perhaps coincidence plays a part in global interactions. Maybe that’s why the authors used this device.
I really enjoyed the structure of the book and like NanK, I enjoyed the map that was at the beginning of each chapter. I liked the carry over of characters from one section to another.
I liked that the authors transitioned from one character and story to the next. I found myself kind of “worrying” about Tomoko Watanabe. When the last chapter wrapped all the characters up I was relieved that she was “okay”.
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The structure made the book very readable. I also like the chapter headings it is very convenient to refer back to them after reading the chapter to keep things in perspective - and the quotes are more meaningful aftere reading the chapter
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I agree, I like being able to refer back to the chapter headings also to keep up with the time period.
I thought it was a novel way to show the flow of financial activity across continents.
The overall story was fine and I enjoyed the detailed development of character; however, the ending was so rushed with no real character development of the protagonists.
I loved the structure and the map at the beginning of each chapter showing how the characters were connected and how each story really was a butterfly effect.
I liked the structure. A good way to learn about all of these people and their lives. I especially liked Tomoko’s story.
I struggled with it at first. Then somewhere along the way I got used to it. Overall, I just found some chapters way better than others. But this may require another read by me after reading some of the comments in this thread. It appears I missed some things- like the stories being parables.
I really enjoyed the structure but at times felt I had finished a novella and longed for longer chapters. It was such a great way to tell the story.
I’ve never seen this done before. I think it gave you a taste of what was to come and made the transition to the next story more interesting.
I liked the overall structure of how the stories flowed. It made the characters’ interdependence on one another easier to follow. I find the constantly changing, back-and-forth character perspectives that some authors employ to be tedious and confusing, so I credit Woo and Shinar with savings readers that annoyance.
The structure was unique and was a good way to highlight the issues without preaching. I, like most of us, lived through this time. I bought a home in 2006 and watched it lose value almost immediately, something that had rarely happened in the past. Fortunately, I was able to wait it out, but not everyone can do that. By using stories, it made the complex easier to grasp. I do agree the ending seemed rushed and forced.