I’m not sure whether it’s pure determination or whether Steve Ersinghaus has managed to make the reading of hypertext nearly pleasurable for me, but I do not seem to be having the frustrations that I’ve had with prior readings of this story form.
There is a nice flow that begins with a dramatic episode as the the story starts in Ham Sandoval’s youth, and as the plot of this thread moves along, via hyperlinks there are other directions to take (I’d love to see again, now that I’ve read a portion, the mapping out of this novel). So while the narrative arc is being established, there are still subplots, backstory, insight, grounding, and foreshadowing contained within the sideroads that add to the comprehension of the whole.
My method is that of the tortoise. I am consciously aware of a timeline of sorts, of a linear movement of Ham through the story, and am trying to stay on that track. But I’m nosey. And, the grass may be greener–who knows? Or I’ll get through the checkout without trouble, or maybe I’ll be stuck behind the mother whose 2 year-old throws up all over the gum rack. So I investigate all avenues, keeping in mind where I started to leave the trail, learn what I can about what word or phrase offered me the option of finding out more and follow it for a while. I am, however, directionally dysfunctional and spatially impaired–not your best reader of hypertext.
Ersinghaus has kept me close on the trails though and I do find myself lost in the story, and not simply lost.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology