Notes – “Love” and “Spin”:
The narrator, Tim O’Brien, chooses to include the reader in the crafting of the stories by explaining that he is also a/the writer. By writing about writing, what writing is like, how to write, the narrator/author informs the reader of aspects of his life that otherwise may not be mentioned in a work of fiction. The work, the labor of writing, takes on an autobiographical tone which invites the reader to trust the narrator/author to deliver the truth, even if there is some embellishment.
Quote – “Love”:
Lt. Cross to O’Brien: “‘You writer types,’ he said, ‘you’ve got long memories.’” (27)
Quotes – “Spin”:
“. . . as I write about these things, the remembering is turned into a kind of rehappening.” (31)
“That’s the real obsession. All those stories.” (33)
“That’s what stories are for.” (36)
