What is the What

What Is the What, by Dave Eggers, is a novel broken into chapters, as novels usually are. However, within each chapter are many stories. The book so far flips between the present action, in which Achak, the main character is being robbed, and his memories. The memories appear as shorter stories interrupting the present action. While the present action follows linear time, with one thing happening after the other, the memories are pulled up as things remind Achak of his past. Some of these memories are after he came to the United States, some are of the refugee camp he lived in for ten years, and some are of his early life in his village in southern Sudan. By dropping these crumbs of his life story piece by piece, the variety keeps the reader interested in the story and in suspense. One can read this story a little at a time, rather than having to dive into it.

The author also makes it an easy book to sink into by using a conversational diction. It is written in first person from Achak's point of view, as if he were telling the story to the reader. For example, in this account of a lion attacking a group of young boys, Eggers writes, "I remember the first boy who was taken. We were walking single file, as we always did, and Deng was holding my shirt from behind as he always did." There is little poetic language and few extra details. Eggers uses mostly simple, common words that are easy to understand. However, he reveals the origin of his character by occasionally using more formal words than found in every day diction. For example, he writes, "I do not know why she wants to call the police for a car in need of repair, but I consent....It does not make sense to me to leave the door open but I do so because she desires it." The words "consent" and "desires" are more formal than most English speakers would use commonly; by this word choice, the reader realizes that Achak has learned English and is not a native speaker. He also uses very few contractions. Achak says, "I am unwilling to agree," rather than "I'm unwilling," and "I tell her that I do have a phone," rather than "I tell her I do." He speaks very properly, without shortcuts, unlike many who grew up speaking English in the United States.