Sevela uses a wide variety of techniques to maintain the mood of the story, the reader's interest and involvement, and themes as the story progresses. The plot of We Were Not Like Other People unfolds through a series of episodes rather than through a single major occurrence or situation. The episodes are held together by the persistent background and the continuous struggle of the main character to survive. Spanning a period of six years, the episodes provide for the appearance of numerous characters and a fo cus on those experiences that are most influential on the character and attitudes of the hero. Action in each episode leads to its own resolution and is generally contained in one or two chapters.

Sevela uses carefully chosen expressions, vivid descriptions, meaningful dialogue and unusual grammatical structures that make the first-person narrative easy to read. The rhythm of the text...