Chapters?

Dorothy Allison's Two or Three Things I Know For Sure contains a unique format that is truly different from all other short novels. The book does not contain any chapters or a real sense of structure, and given this, the reading is still able to comfortably flow from one point to another without any confusion, distraction, or a sense of being lost in the pages. Also, without a solid structure, the book is surprisingly a very simple and pleasurable read, regardless of whether it was to contain ninety four or five hundred pages. Dorothy Allison is able to convey her overall message and tell her story literally the way she wants it to be told, and if she feels that she wants it to be done without any chapters or page breaks, then that is a feature that by far sets her novel apart from others.

What Dorothy Allison accomplishes that really sets her novel apart from others can be found in the quotes that she continuously uses throughout Two or Three Things I Know For Sure. In my postings, I briefly explored this unique choice of format. I find that Dorothy Allison's numerous quotes that start with "Two or three things I know for sure..." are almost an insight into her deepest most private feelings that she gratefully shares with her readers, and at the same time, the quotes serve as a break in the story and take on the qualities of a chapter structure. What is most intriguing to me about this is that her quotes correlate to the actual reading, which she is able to do in a most clever manner. Maybe it is just me, but it wasn't until I started this blog that I was able to recognize this characteristic. One of the correlations that I was able to understand can be found early in the reading on page 7. Allison discusses growing up in Greenville, South Carolina, and after giving a brief description, she states that it is the most beautiful place that she had ever seen. She then states that that while Greenville is the most beautiful place that she has ever been, it is also the most terrible. She states that Greenville is a place that she loves just as much as she hates, a place that is vivid in her most wonderful dreams as well as her most terrible nightmares. After this brief section, her quote come into play which totally describes her previous feelings towards Greenville, South Carolina. The quote states "Two or three things I know for sure, and one of them is the way you can both hate and love something you are not sure you understand(7)." Dorothy Allison is able to relate her memories of her hometown in the quote in a most subtle but awe inspiring way. I feel that this choice of style and structure is brilliant, a rare feature that is hardly seen in other novels and it is something that will be sure to remain unique, in that if copied, it will always be known that Dorothy Allison was the originator of this magnificent style of writing.