Literary Devices

[IBelieveInAThingCalledScience]

I've just started reading "Blonde Roots", by Bernadette Evaristo and I'm really enjoying it.

But a few chapters in (and as sure as the night follows day) I just got yanked back into the past to the start of the protagonist's story.

I'm just so tired of this constant interruption of the narrative and chronological time line.

I can't remember the last book I read that didn't use this device.

Most of the time it doesn't even add anything to the story.

Am I missing something or is it just a fad?

I get cross with this too. I abandoned a book recently that jumped all over the place time wise (President's Last Love by Andrey Kurkov). Felt like it was written in a liner chronology and then chopped up and reassembled at random and for no good reason.
I would much rather just jump forward a few years.

Similar to this is when a narrative totally abandons the characters you've been dealing with and jumps to different people in a different environment. When it happens after the first chapter or so.