There was no structure because he was writing day to day, recording things he experienced or was told about while he sat in prison. Kind of like a diary or journal. A historical record.
Also, welcome to Poal
I'm sure he had good reason for writing a nearly unreadable book, and then another good reason for not editing it to something legible... but the fact remains that it's wasted on me. As I said, an edited and abridged version would be really nice.
It was a rare glimpse into the life of a Russian during those times. That's what makes it so special/important. There is no plot or storyline, which is maybe why you didn't like it. I'll admit it was monotonous to get through, but how better do you get across the sense of spending years in the prison system than to take the reader into it in every little detail?
Maybe you would like this better:
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (kkoworld.com)
Thanks. I'll try to check it out.
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