Narrative Criticism, Anyone?

Due to the curiosity that overwhelmed me, I couldn't help but choose to read "Tour of Duty," by Denise Grollmus as my memoir to critique. The basic idea would be the many faces that being on tour with a rock band can hold. Being an excellent memoir, however, it holds a candle that shows flames that both give light and darkness. A light to show what a grand adventure can do for you, as well as the darkness to show what it can do TO you. That warm atmosphere is depicted as both burning and gentle in certain moments of the piece. All facets of life could use the meaning shown with this piece, even if I, personally, believe that the audience was no person other than herself in an almost 'showing' kind of way to remind herself that what she was 'stuck' in was something she truly did want to remove herself from because, behind the negative atmosphere she did wish to be where she was. The memoir is filled with her personal pathos, a passion for her life that needed to have an end. The feelings put into the art were very broad; an alcoholic hot and steamy life combined with dreamy, soft moments where life wasn't so bad. The beginning throws out the idea of alcohol and drugs, which is tossed back and forth throughout the whole piece in the most negative of lights to show that it was easily a downside to the adventure. Although, the author honestly speaks outright and holds nothing back by showing that she did, in-fact, partake in drinking heavy enough to give herself hangovers. In my opinion, the inclusion of the eleven year old girl with the gnawed leg is strangely intriguing, not necessarily by the lesson learned, but the fact that Grollmus did indeed learn and grow on the journey. The selective dialog went hand in hand with showing which parts of the journey impacted her emotions deeply. Many times where speech is involved related to feelings of home and peace. It seemed that, during the passage of time, she seemed to want to be at home, in a family that eats warm eucalyptus leaves. Conversely, the dialog also focused heavily on negative events during the trip that showed the evils of the journey itself. The transitions were worked in such a fashion that the storyline was similar to that of an epic; where it starts in the center, goes to the beginning, and then finishes afterwards. The transitions beyond that were flawless, leading one hangover into another so that I couldn't point out to you any serious time jumps other than the time leaps that put the story into a general feeling to start and continued with that feeling. A feeling which I can honestly say made me feel like I, myself, was stuck in a "Tour of Duty."