What is the author's style in the novel, The War That Saved My Life?

This novel is told in a linear fashion in the past tense. Ada tells the story from a point after the action has already taken place, she had already gone to live with Susan full time after her Mam took her back to London. Through the course of the novel Ada speaks to her reader as if she is telling the story directly to them. One notable example of this is found in Chapter 2 when Ada says “I want you to understand what the problem was” (8). Ada expresses her desire to communicate with her reader and make him understand her situation, as if they were acquaintances.

The 316-page book consists of 46 chapters. Each chapter is indicated only with a chapter number. Average chapter length is seven pages. The shortest chapter is Chapter 45 at a mere two pages. The longest chapter is Chapter 8 at eleven pages.