Structure

Somebody’s Daughter is divided into 32 unnamed chapters, all of relatively short length as the book totals 210 pages. The first chapter sees Ford describe her life in New York City with her partner Kelly and the phone call from her mother which disrupts the rhythm of their life together, far from Ford’s native Indiana. From then on, each chapter is set in the past as Ford dives into her early childhood and progresses through to her adolescence and then college years. The book thus takes a generally chronological structure, not jumping back and forth between childhood ‘phases’ or ‘eras’ but bookending the narrative with the adult Ford describing her present reality.

The book’s chronological structure benefits from Ford’s brief chapters and quick pace. In the span of only a few pages, her structure allows her to trace her growth as a child and the...