The narrative structure is ingenious.
Since Shevek is a theoretical physicist concerned with the nature of time, the alternating chapters are designed to reflect two aspects of his theories. Time is seen as either simultaneous or sequential, either being or becoming. One set of chapters deals with the events going on simultaneously during Shevek's visit to Urras, while the alternating set deals with the sequence of events from Shevek's birth through his childhood until he becomes an adult. His aim is to reconcile these two views in order to create a unified field theory of time. After the final chapter of the book, Shevek is.....
