Non-Linear Timelines: Why Some Books Jump Around

Contains spoilers for the following works: Where the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens), The Covenant of Water (Abraham Verghese), The Nightingale (Kristin Hannah), The Godfather (Mario Puzo)

Have you wondered why a book doesn't flow in a sequential order? Perhaps the author switches between the past and present or jumps among different years. This isn't pure theatrics – it's an intentional literary device known as a non-linear timeline. In this post, I'll explain what it is, why some books use it, and when authors should avoid it, with examples along the way.

What is a non-linear timeline?

A non-linear timeline is a narrative structure that presents events out of chronological order. It contrasts the traditional linear timeline, where events unfold in the order that they happened. Flashbacks, flash forwards, and convergent narratives at disparate points in time are all examples of elements used to create a non-linear timeline.

While most novels written in past tense are essentially flashbacks, not all past tense novels are considered non-linear timelines. If the events are narrated without switching sequentiality, the work adheres to a linear timeline.

Why do authors jump around in time?

Mainly to keep the readers on their toes. By revealing events out of order, authors build suspense and keep readers engaged as the readers try to put the literary pieces together. Delia Owens employs this technique in Where the Crawdads Sing, seamlessly switching between Kya's coming of age and her trial for Chase's murder. Readers are kept on the edge of their seats wondering how an innocent girl could be charged for a heinous crime, and the ending comes together to reveal the true culprit. Without the non-linear timeline, the book would've been a run-of-the-mill whodunnit story with a foreseeable outcome instead of the gripping page-turner that forces readers to solve the mystery by themselves.

When used correctly, a non-linear timeline can make for a stellar plot twist. In The Covenant of Water, the story appears close to resolution after Digby reveals to Mariamma that he is her real father. But he takes the readers for a spin with a bombshell–Mariamma's "dead" mother Elsie is still alive. The story jumps back in time about twenty years, where Elsie explains the circumstances of Mariamma's ignomimous birth. The non-linear timeline masterfully captures the readers' attention: we want to how Elsie survived and why she abandoned her child. Readers suddenly recall the signs of her aliveness: the published artwork and the neatly folded articles of clothing suggest that her death was not an accident, as previously thought.

When should authors not jump around?

If character survival is a critical element of the story, it's best to avoid a non-linear timeline. Why?

Imagine that you're reading about a hijacked plane that crashes in the woods. Only two people survive – a haughty rich kid who's never lifted a finger, and a decrepit old man who can barely move. Time reveals that the old man is a former park ranger who can allay their survival until a rescue crew arrives, but the rich kid needs to humble himself and get his hands dirty to make it out alive. Will he put his pride aside, or will his nature lead to the protagonists' anticlimactic deaths?

If the author suddenly flashes forward to the pair meeting for coffee, you know that the characters have survived. This exposes the plot – with the knowledge that they made it out, why should the reader finish the novel? In situations where characters are struggling for survival, a non-linear timeline inherently spoils the plot.

The other time to avoid a non-linear timeline is when it unveils a critical plot point. Kristin Hannah makes this mistake in her World War II novel The Nightingale. When the narrator, speaking in first person, reflects on, "the man I killed," she reveals how a key character in the novel will meet his end. And when the man does get murdered, the entire story unravels: the reader learns the identity of the unknown narrator and the fact that she survived the Second World War (another spoiler). A linear timeline would've just as effectively conveyed the rationale for a docile character to commit such an act without spoiling the plot. Mario Puzo did just that in The Godfather; Michael Corleone's transformation to The Don doesn't jump around in time because it doesn't have to.

Final Thoughts

Non-linear timelines are a great way to build suspense by involving the reader in piecing together the narrative, but they shouldn't be used if they will spoil the work.

In the mood for a non-linear narrative? Try The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy. Tom Wingo and his sister Savannah struggle to escape their family's turbulent past. Switching between the harrowing experiences that shaped Savannah's poems and the psychoanalytical repartee between Tom and his sister's psychiatrist, Conroy's non-linearity helps readers uncover the factors that influenced Savannah's descent into mental illness.

Maybe one day, I'll publish a non-linear work of my own (hint hint)