comment on structure

The book is divided into fourteen “chapters” that vary greatly in length. Each chapter is titled and the name offers clues as to the content of that chapter, though the meanings are usually revealed only after the chapter is read. For example, the first chapter is “The Lost Year.” The reader learns only after reading the chapter that this is an undetermined period of time in which the young boy struggles with consciousness. Each chapter consists of two sections. The first has something to do with the title. The second section of each chapter is very brief, some with only a few sentences. The sections are sometimes only loosely related or serve as contrasts. For example, the second chapter, “The Children Couldn’t Wait,” relates the story of a farm owner who shot and killed a child who got water before the official time for a break. The second section of that chapter relates a woman who seeks the services of a fortune teller for news of her son and learns that he will soon be home. In the first section, a father loses a son; and, in the second, a mother learns her son is safe. One version of the book popularly available is presented as a dual text, one in English and one in Spanish. In this version, the first half of the book is Spanish and the second half is English. There is also a series of photos of the actors from a screen version of this book.