Childhood

The book narrates her childhood up to the age of twelve and her entry into high school, which is meant to be the post-primary stage. It is more like poetic metaphor than a true autobiography. Memories unfold by connecting them with images and feelings as if inviting us to participate in their act. We find ourselves facing a perplexing text. One of the innovations of this book is the duality of the narrator. There are two voices presenting childhood events: one voice telling the "I" and the other criticizing, observing, and scrutinizing the validity of such a project based on reshaping the past. From the first reading, the reader finds it difficult to distinguish who is the "I" and who is the "you." Natalie Sarout takes herself as a version of herself, demonstrating one of the features of autobiography where the narrator tells the author's story. That is, the one who recounts her memories and the one who questions the reasons and means of doing so, and even the nature of memories themselves. Many interpretations have been made in this regard. In "Childhood," these internal movements mostly appear as echoes of awkward or rude phrases that Natasha revealed or made her feel her true relationships with her relatives, especially with her mother.