The Use of Ellipsis as a Narrative Technique in Yvonne Owuor’s Dust

Abstract

This paper reads the use of ellipsis as a narrative technique in Yvonne Owuor’s Dust. The paper interrogates the deployment of ellipsis in the novel as a strategy for contesting notions of homogeneity at different levels. Through the use of ellipsis, the novel constantly ruptures its own form, but which inherently calls for continuity. These gaps invite the reader to be a co-creator in the narrative and, therefore, participate in imagining the community, nation, and the history in the novel. I argue that the elliptical narration in the novel is significant in uncovering silences, gaps, secrets, omissions, and shadows which constitute the writer’s imaginary and portrayal of Kenya.