Structure

The main body of the book is separated into two parts. The first is defined, roughly, by the author’s recollection and examination of experiences during his first five years of elementary school: the second is defined, again roughly, by his recollection and examination of experiences during the remainder of his grade school years and a few years into his subsequent, post grade school life. There are also, in the book’s later chapters, glimpses into his more adult life, including evocations of a long-term relationship and of attempts at reconciliation with his father.

Within each of those two parts there is a series of chapters, each individually titled with a word or sentence that connects with that chapter’s content. Sometimes that connection is direct, as in “Mikey,” in which the chapter’s title relates directly to a particularly remembered childhood friend. Other times, the connection...