The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is a truly uniquely written book. This book is made up of countless stories that, although messy, intertwine and capture the reader's attention until the end of the novel. This book, which is more of a collection of short stories rather than a story with a beginning and an end, uses a format that will keep the reader coming back for more. Typically, a novel contains four basic parts: a beginning, a middle, climax, and the end. The beginning sets the tone for the book and introduces the reader to the characters and setting. Most of the novel comes from the middle part where the plot takes place. The plot is what usually captures the reader's attention and allows the reader to get mentally involved. Then there is the climax of the story. This is the point in the book where everything comes together and the reader's attention is maximum. Finally there is the end. At the end of a book, the reader typically has no questions and is satisfied with the outcome of previous events. However, in the novel The Things They Carryed the setting of the book is quite different. This book is written in a literary genre called “metafiction”. “Metafiction” is a term given to fictional story in which the author makes the reader wonder what is fiction and what is reality. This is very important in setting up Tim's writing because it forces the reader to draw their own conclusions about the story. However, this is not a story at all; instead, O'Brien writes the book as if each chapter were a stand-alone story. Although all the chapters are connected to each other, while reading the book the reader is forced to continue reading. It's almost as if the reader is listening to a "soldier narrator" over a long period of time. Another unique aspect of this book is the constant change of point of view. This change in point of view highlights the disorder associated with war. At some points in the book, the point of view is first-person, while at other points it changes to an external third-person point of view. In the book's first chapter, “The Things They Carried,” O'Brien writes: “The things they carried were largely determined by necessity (2).