Why Does Alphabetical Diaries Use An Alphabetical Structure?

I picked up 'Alphabetical Diaries' on a whim, mostly because the concept intrigued me—organizing a decade’s worth of journal entries alphabetically sounded like a bizarre but fascinating experiment. At first, I wasn’t sure if it would feel gimmicky or profound, but after a few pages, I found myself oddly absorbed. The disjointed structure forces you to piece together the author’s life in fragments, like solving a puzzle where the emotional highs and lows aren’t linear but scattered across the alphabet. It’s not a traditional narrative, and that’s what makes it stand out. If you enjoy unconventional storytelling or digging into raw, unfiltered human experiences, this might be your jam. That said, it’s definitely not for everyone. Some sections drag, especially when repetitive phrases or mundane details pile up (looking at you, entries under 'T' for 'today'). But there’s something poetic about the randomness—how a trivial note about coffee sits next to a heart-wrenching confession just because they share a starting letter. It made me reflect on how we order our own memories and whether chronology really matters. I’d recommend it to anyone who’s into experimental lit or autofiction, but if you prefer tight plots or clear arcs, this might frustrate more than enlighten. For me, the weird charm of it stuck around long after I finished.