FA 19 20.5 Non-Linear

[Kate S]

In honor of The English Patient (1992 winner), read a book with a non-linear narrative.

Please post any questions, comments, or suggestions for Task 20.5 in this thread.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

We always have a task where the definition and options are not as straight forward as we would like. You all have read books that would fit this task, and probably have many on your shelves. Wikipedia describe nonlinear as:

Nonlinear narrative, disjointed narrative or disrupted narrative is a narrative technique, sometimes used in literature, film, hypertext websites and other narratives, where events are portrayed, for example, out of chronological order or in other ways where the narrative does not follow the direct causality pattern of the events featured, such as parallel distinctive plot lines, dream immersions or narrating another story inside the main plot-line. It is often used to mimic the structure and recall of human memory, but has been applied for other reasons as well.

Examples at Wikipedia.

Some GR members are uber-classifiers and there is a shelf Non Linear.

Also, here is a short article.

Please feel free to share your ideas for this task.

[Lynn]

A book I read this week A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs is non-linear, YA but lexile level 1390.

[Valerie]

Lynn wrote: "A book I read this week A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs is non-linear, YA but lexile level 1390."

Thanks for the recommendation, Lynn!

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

One of the books I have penciled in for this task is The Labyrinth of the Spirits, the 4th and final installment in the series The Cemetery of Forgotten Books. From the description, I think it fits, but just in case Ruiz Zafon is a Boomer. This is shelved 41 times as books about books.

[Kazen]

Some books that I've read that would fit in this task are A Place for Us (jumbled up time-wise, from different characters' points of view), Where the Crawdads Sing (one storyline catches up with the other), and Asymmetry (two seemingly unrelated stories are pulled together).

[Rebekah]

Kazen wrote: "Some books that I've read that would fit in this task are A Place for Us (jumbled up time-wise, from different characters' points of view), Where the Crawdads Sing (..."

Thanks, Karen! It’s hard to know sometimes from the book descriptions. In my new issue of Bookmarks magazine, there is a section where readers send a list of books the recommend. This time a reader sent in Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and she states “I’ll admit I have a weakness for writers who tell stories that go back and forth in time”.

[Valerie]

It looks like this: Play It As It Lays may fit here from a web search about the book. Has anyone read this (and remember if it is non-linear!)?

[Beth]

Does a work that is primarily a linear story but filled with flashbacks to childhood qualify as non-linear for this task?

Is a work that takes place in two different eras simultaneously nonlinear? Like some of the stories with one person living in a house during this era and another during that era? It feels linear, but is sections of linearity put together by chapter, or some such.

I notice the task says "book" instead of novel, but collections of short stories, poetry, or nonfiction dont really seem to fit the spirit of the task (well, maybe a nonfiction memoir depnding on how it is told). What were you thinking about in regards to these not novels?

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Beth wrote: "Does a work that is primarily a linear story but filled with flashbacks to childhood qualify as non-linear for this task?

Is a work that takes place in two different eras simultaneously nonlinear?..."

Childhood flashbacks will make a work non-linear, so you'd be good with such books.

Books of short stories and poetry will not work. However, there are definitely nonfiction books that insert backstories in such a way to make the work nonlinear. You are not restricted to novels for this task.

[Lynn]

Valerie wrote: "Lynn wrote: "A book I read this week A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs is non-linear, YA but lexile level 1390."

Thanks for the recommendation, Lynn!"

You're welcome! Of course The Time Traveler's Wife is non-linear. I loved that book.

[Valerie]

Lynn wrote: "Valerie wrote: "Lynn wrote: "A book I read this week A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs is non-linear, YA but lexile level 1390."

Thanks for the recommendation,..."

I did too!

[Joanna]

I'm having a lot of trouble figuring out what fits here.

What about The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo? The book is written in the first person with the journalist telling her story of interviewing Evelyn Hugo, the film star. Then there are pieces where we're seeing Evelyn's life, along with news articles and descriptions of photos at the time. Different story pieces eventually connect up.

It feels like maybe this fits, since it's using flashbacks to give the historical story, but maybe it doesn't because the journalist is learning these story pieces in real/chronological time.

Help?

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Joanna wrote: "I'm having a lot of trouble figuring out what fits here.

What about The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo? The book is written in the first person with the journalist telling her story..."

Yay! Look what I found: "I love dying!! This is a nonlinear historical fiction narrative about a woman from old Hollywood and the love of her life!! ..."

[Anika]

I'm reading In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex (for "Shipwrecked!") and am wondering if I can claim combo points for Non-Linear:
as with much historical non-fiction that I've read, this one follows the events in chronological order, but the narrative itself jumps around to elucidate the topic using different events both from the past (including but not limited to: the experience of other shipwreck survivors from up to 50 years earlier, the original colonization of islands in the Pacific which happened hundreds of years earlier, the mutiny on the Bounty and their establishment of a community on Pitcairn) to the future (including a study of the effects of starvation on the human body conducted in the 1940s). There are more examples of the jumping around in time, but don't know if it would be enough to count as non-linear...

[Penny]

Looking forward to hearing on this question - I'm planning on reading In The Heart of the Sea for this task too!! :-)

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Anika wrote: "I'm reading In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex (for "Shipwrecked!") and am wondering if I can claim combo points for Non-Linear:
as with much historical non-fi..."

If it tells of other stories in prior years, comes back to the Essex, rinse repeat, then yes, it is definitely non-linear. I look forward to your review! And yours, too, Penny.

[Valerie]

Penny wrote: "Looking forward to hearing on this question - I'm planning on reading In The Heart of the Sea for this task too!! :-)"

This is hilarious - I got a copy of this out of the library a week ago, in anticipation!

[Tien]

Not sure if I'm supposed to post here first for approval... but am reading A Wild Sheep Chase (The Rat #3) by Haruki Murakami -which I was going to use for PnM but then realised it'll fit this task better. I found the following to support my claim:

"In A Wild Sheep Chase, Murakami employs various non-linear narrative techniques that highlight the labyrinth." article (around middle of page)

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

It isn't necessary to post here first. This is one of those tasks when you don't know for certain if a book fits until you read it. I'm glad you found a reference so you could read with confidence. And also that you share your plan as others might be interested.

[Tien]

Thanks, Elizabeth. I was very unsure about this task so it's got to have it confirmed :)

[Owlette]

I'm almost on the last chapter of My Life with the Saints by James Martin. It has 18 chapters, each one is about a person/saint interspersed with experiences of the author. So, for example, a chapter begins by introducing the person and their life, then it jumps to 1980s-2010 or so to give a personal autobiographical experience of the author that reminded him of that person, then it may jump back to the saint's life, then back to the author's, several times in same chapter. Actually, a little decorative design appears in the page break, when a jump is about to occur, at least I think that is what the design means. So, each chapter is not written in straight historical order, but I don't know whether the book meets this task.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Owlette wrote: "I'm almost on the last chapter of My Life with the Saints by James Martin. It has 18 chapters, each one is about a person/saint interspersed with experiences of the au..."

That sounds exactly right!

[Owlette]

Thanks, Elizabeth (Alaska)!

[Deedee]

Would Lost Children Archive count as non-linear? It has lengthy remembrances of events in the past. Since it also fits 10.10, hopefully someone has read it and can answer the question.

[Kate S]

I, too, am hoping someone who has read it will chime in, Deedee. My copy is ready to be picked up on Sunday, so I will know better next week.

From what I have seen, I am expecting it to work here, but am not positive yet.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I found an interview with Luiselli about the book in which she says in part:

Not at all, but it wasn’t like I had to go back and rewrite the book, since I don’t write linearly. My novels grow from a core center in every direction, until eventually that core disappears.

This will definitely work for this task.

[Bea]

Non-linear is a new concept for me, but I think I get it. It is a story that moves back and forward rather than straight from start to end.

In that case, Twelve Bar Blues will fit. It is the story of a people in Africa and several generations later in America. It moves back and forth between the two.

[Rebekah]

A page turner I read last challenge I’ll recommend is Pines. By Blake Crouch cant say much more without spoiling

[Rachel]

I just finished Outliers: The Story of Success.
It's the type of NF book that doesn't have a narrative at all. Anecdotal accounts and information around particular subjects...

Wondering if this fits?

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Rachelccameron wrote: "I just finished Outliers: The Story of Success.
It's the type of NF book that doesn't have a narrative at all. Anecdotal accounts and information around particular subjects...

Wonde..."

Does the author seem to skip around as to time? This type of nonfiction seems to do so, but I haven't read this title.

[Rachel]

It's like one chapter per subject. Korean airplane crashes, IQ tests, Hockey players etc...

But yes we definitely move through mid 1800's to present day and not in chronological order.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Rachelccameron wrote: "But yes we definitely move through mid 1800's to present day and not in chronological order."

Then you should be good here!

[Rebekah]

Is Heart of Darkness non-linear? It starts with a man on a ship sitting around the deck with some others and s from his point of view, then the narrator tells us about Marlow who speaks up to tell a story. Then it goes to Marlowe’s POV as he tells a story from his past and at the very end goes back to the original narrator to the present.

[Rebekah]

Asking again about Heart of Darkness

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Rebekah wrote: "Asking again about Heart of Darkness"

Sorry, for missing this Rebekah. I didn't remember that there was any "non-linearness" to it, but I find some articles that say it is. You may claim it for this task.

[Rebekah]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "Asking again about Heart of Darkness"

Sorry, for missing this Rebekah. I didn't remember that there was any "non-linearness" to it, but I find some articles that say it..."

Thank you, Elizabeth. I’ve been getting side tracked by the real world a bit myself!