Running in the family

Running in the Family's narrative style is different from both The Liars' Club and Fathers, Sons, and Brothers.  The book begins with a dream. The author tells us about the dream, which is chaotic and leaves him wanting to go to his native country Sri Lanka. THe writing style is kind of confusing. He goes from past to present without much care for the in between. Its is beautifully written no matter how confusing it may be. It makes you think rather than giving you everything. It's almost like a poem in that it must be deciphered. The first line is rather poetic, "What began it all was the bright bone of a dream I could hardly hold onto." (21) He could have been much more blunt, or straight forward. Instead he chooses words that give it that poetic feel. Maybe he wants to convey the feeling of searching for the meaning, or for answers, which seems to be what he is doing. He's searching for the truth of his family's past. 

The author gives you history of not only his family, but of his country. For example, on page 48, he explains 

"In India only the aristocracy gambled; in Ceylon the bankers and lime-burners and fishmongers and the leisured class would spend their afternoon shoulder to shoulder, betting compulsively. The rulers of the country genuinely believed that betting eliminated strikes; men had to work in order to gamble."

 This is an interesting fact about his country. All of the little facts he gives us about the country tend to lead into stories of his family. The gambling leads to stories of horse races, and his grandmother betting on her own horse every time but once, of course that being the only time he won. And how it was because of a telegram that was mistyped.