 In his writing Chatwin experimented with format . With In Patagonia , Clapp said Chatwin described the book 's structure of 97 vignettes as " Cubist . " " [ I ] n other words , " she said , " lots of small pictures tilting away and toward each other to create this strange original portrait of Patagonia . " The Songlines was another attempt by Chatwin to experiment with format . The book begins as a novel narrated by a man named Bruce but about two @-@ thirds of the way through it becomes a commonplace book filled with quotations , anecdotes , and summaries of others ' research in an attempt to explore human restlessness . Some of Chatwin 's critics did not think he succeeded in The Songlines with this approach , although others applauded his effort at trying an unconventional structure . 
