Although I am in the very beginning of the life narrative ‘What is the What?’ by Dave Eggers a few things instantly come to my attention. These two things are the conflict and the structure. Both of these set the tone for the rest of the book, and both immediately draw the reader in.
The conflict (racially) seen thus far in this book is a type of that I have never encountered before, or even heard about. There is racism between different ethnicities (Caucasian, Asian, Black, etc.) , and even I have been the subject of racial abuse. However, I had never stopped to think about the discrimination from African Americans to Africans. In the part of this already compelling life narrative this issue is addressed. As Valentino’s (the narrator) home is raided and he is knocked out, several slurs from his African American home invaders caught my attention. The way in which they call him a ‘Africa’ (pg. 5) as a way of addressing him was very interesting. Another example of this was the way in which two boys on the bus pestered Valentino and said that he was “one of the Africans that sold us out” (pg. 18). By this he meant that he was descended from Africans who sold other African’s into the slave trade hundreds of years ago.
From an academic standpoint, this early introduction of racism sets the tone for the book. The way in which Valentino is immediately in conflict even when he has reached the ‘safe haven’ of the United States show that he is never truly at rest. This is emphasised by the way he wishes he was back in Africa (where he was in refugee camps) compared to being in the United States. This shows that the life narrative will not be a tale of immediate happiness, but rather a story of struggle.
The second thing that caught my attention was the structure of the work. The way in which Valentino tells the story of his home invasion while simultaneously ‘flashing back’ to his past and the things he has witnessed and experienced. The way in which the past and the present are shown simultaneously, and the way in which the reader is not confused with all the switching back in forth is extremely well done. As Valentino lies bleeding on the floor, he remembers his experiences back in Africa. He relates the things happening in his apartment in Atlanta to the happenings of his youth. This immediate introduction to his character and his hardship sets the tone.
The combination of the immediate introduction of conflict and the interesting structure of the life narrative sets the tone for the rest of the novel. The reader can expect a very engaging writing style (as evidenced by the structure) and also a very compelling story of hardship and conflict (as evidenced by the violence and racism).
You can find the book here on Amazon: http://www.amazon.ca/What-Dave-Eggers/dp/0676979491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381780168&sr=8-1&keywords=what+is+the+what
Citations: Eggers, Dave, What is the What?, Vintage Canada, 2007