Structure

The memoir is organized into a prologue and 12, titled chapters. This familiar structure acts as a navigational tool for the reader throughout the text. Because the author is writing from her own point of view, the memoir assumes a narrative form and style. Indeed, many of the author’s structural choices mirror those of a traditional novelistic form. For example, the prologue, “The Neutral Room,” presents the memoir’s inciting event, central conflict, and overarching stakes. The section opens with Chloé sitting at “a bar in Brooklyn listening as two men, [her] friends, discuss whether or not” her life is “worth living” (1). Although Chloé has grown accustomed to the ways in which others regard and disparage her, because the men are supposed to be friends, this experience dismantles any of Chloé's positive self-regard. The night at the bar in turn catalyzes her journeys overseas and around...