What did you think of how this book constantly switched between the "present" action of the missions and flashbacks?

Use this forum to discuss the January 2020 Book of the month, "Man Mission: 4 men, 15 years, 1 epic journey", by Eytan Uliel.
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mrwrite
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Re: What did you think of how this book constantly switched between the "present" action of the missions and flashbacks?

Post by mrwrite »

I like it, you never know when he's going for a flashback. I appreciate the way its written. I didn't ever have to go back because I felt lost.
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Post by gelli_baranda »

Flashbacks are nice additions to the story, if truth to be told. The challenge would be to string together the events so as not to confuse the reader.
Happy reading,
Gelli xoxo
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Chinazo Anozie
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Post by Chinazo Anozie »

Laura Lee wrote: 04 Jan 2020, 12:43 I don't think I have read a book that has had quite so much jumping back and forth between the advancing action (the missions) and flashbacks as in Man Mission. It's a very difficult way to write and still maintain cohesiveness.

Personally, though, I think Uliel pulled it off brilliantly. The flashbacks either related to some epiphany learned on the mission, or worked as foreshadowing.

What are your thoughts? Were you able to follow the action despite the constant jumping back and forth? Did you think it was effective or confusing?
I didn't think it was confusing at all and it's even one of the things I love about the book.
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Post by jimmy02 »

Yup! I agree. I mentioned the same in my review. Writing the way the author has in Man Mission is not easy. Yet, the book is a masterful piece of writing and that itself speaks for the author's writing style.

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Post by Spencer Maina »

I loved it. It just grew the suspense bigger and bigger.
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Post by n3stl3y_ »

Even though the flashbacks were abrupt, it all ended up being so cohesive.
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Post by Anuvamsha S A »

He pulled it brilliantly its true its not boring at all switching between flashbacks really added spices to the book
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Post by fire_spice »

Laura Lee wrote: 04 Jan 2020, 12:43 I don't think I have read a book that has had quite so much jumping back and forth between the advancing action (the missions) and flashbacks as in Man Mission. It's a very difficult way to write and still maintain cohesiveness.

Personally, though, I think Uliel pulled it off brilliantly. The flashbacks either related to some epiphany learned on the mission, or worked as foreshadowing.

What are your thoughts? Were you able to follow the action despite the constant jumping back and forth? Did you think it was effective or confusing?
I loved it! It helped us to gauge their state of mind during each mission.
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Post by Maris Charles M »

The author did a brilliant job at that. It help to keep the story engaging. It takes a good writer to do that without turning the readers off.
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Post by Marsha JJ »

This aspect of the book didn't bother me at all. I think the author did a great job keeping the transitions very seamless.
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Post by Glorious Jack »

The author did a wonderful job transitioning between present and past events. It was flawless and made the story more engaging.
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Post by Agbata precious »

The author did a great job and the flashback was nice too.
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Post by Cocobutta »

I liked the switching of stories. I feel like it made the book more suspenseful. While I was reading about their personal lives and the author skipped to the middle of a man mission I found myself eagerly waiting for the next part about their personal lives.
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Post by IbrahimOtegbade »

The flashbacks helps the reader understand each of the characters and their situation. Not mixing the whole thing up shows the writer's skill is good.
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Post by Agbata precious »

The author really did a great job and he was also careful not to confuse anyone.
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