comment on structure

Chris Cleave divides his novel Everyone Brave is Forgiven into unnumbered, titled chapters that span a period of time from September, 1939 to May, 1942. Each chapter bears a title reflective of the month and year in which the events of that chapter take place. As a result, certain months –like December, 1940 –become the title of several chapters in a row. This allows the reader to follow the events of the novel chronologically across almost three years of World War II, beginning and ending in London, but expanding to places as far-reaching as France and Malta. The chronologically-conscious construction of the chapters of the novel also allows the reader to progress rapidly through time as needed, or to dwell in particular moments of time as required by the unfolding plot.