It’s taking me forever to finish Europe’s Angry Muslims. I’m interested in the subject, the author’s argument does not lack merit, I have plenty of time to read but there is a narrative device that the author employs which makes reading a chore rather than a pleasant experience.
The device I’m talking about is sign-posting. I’m not as opposed to sign-posting as some people are but this book’s author takes it way too far. It’s like he never met a sign-post that he didn’t passionately embrace. Literally every page contains at least one “as we will see in chapter 10” or “as I explained in chapters 6, 7 and 9.” The narrative becomes repetitive and circular. The constant references to future chapters create the feeling that the author is bored with whatever he is discussing at the moment. The question in the back of the reader’s mind is, “Well, if chapter 10 is so crucial, why not just skip straight to it and save myself the bother?”
One good result of all this is that I’m now scouring the article I’m currently writing in an effort to remove anything resembling a sign-post.
Avoid sign-posting, people. Or at least keep it to the introduction.
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