Writer's Craft - Structure

At the beginning of Bruchko, there is a chapter about where Bruce is returning to the Motilone tribe and meeting with Bobby. At the time, this was very confusing to me because I did not know who Bobby was and I did not understand why the oil company was a such a threat. However, at the end of the book we are introduced again to the concept of the threatening oil company. I thought it was interesting that Olson chose to write the book this way because the reader almost forgets the whole first chapter until they get to the end of the book where they are reminded again of it. In a lot of ways, this not only hooks the readers but also gives them something to continue reading towards. At the beginning of the book, the reader has this curiosity to figure out who Bobby is and how Bruce managed to get so close to him. The next chapter is read hoping that it will provide some more information about it but the reader is pleasantly surprised with the beginning of the story, Bruce's childhood. Subconsciously, the reader will continue reading the book because they want to put the pieces of the puzzle together. While giving a part of the ending away at the beginning, Olson does not ruin the ending. The end of the book is still suspenseful and surprising for the reader. This technique is probably used by many authors but I think that Olson used it in an effective way.