Honestly, the framing device with 'V is for...' totally got me on the first read. I was expecting a cute alphabet book gimmick, but it's used so cleverly to dissect the novel's events. It feels like the narrator is trying to make sense of it all by sticking these painful, violent, and beautiful moments under neat little letters, which just makes the chaos more unsettling. Like, when you get to 'V is for Violence,' it’s not just a simple statement—it’s the quiet, systemic cruelty of the Academy, the visceral horror of the cave, and the self-destruction that runs through the whole plot.
It explains the story by structuring its themes, not its chronology. You don't get 'A is for Arrival' or 'B is for Beginning.' Instead, the letters force you to look at the core ideas: 'H is for Hiding,' 'S is for Silence.' It's like a psychological autopsy of the characters, especially Victor and Eli. The story’s explanation isn't in a linear 'this happened then that happened' way; it’s in understanding why they became what they are, and the alphabet format, with its childish connotations, creates this stark, brilliant contrast with the very adult darkness of their rivalry.