Structure

Pumpkinflowers is divided into four Parts, plus an introduction. Each of the four parts focuses on different stories and characters which are all part of the larger narrative. The four parts are arranged in chronological order, beginning in the mid-1990s and concluding in the early 2000s. This structure and its key stories and characters are outlined for the reader in the introduction where the author writes: "Part 1 is about a series of incidents beginning in 1994 at the Israeli army outpost we called the Pumpkin, seen through the eyes of a soldier, Avi, who was there before me. Part 2 introduces two civilians, mothers, who helped bring about the unraveling of the military's strategy. Part 3 describes my own time on the hill, and the experiences of several of my friends in the outpost's last days. The final part recounts my return to Lebanon after these events had ended...