Switching paragraphs

In this novel the author chooses to switch between Lisa's childhood and her present life. I think that this works really well because if the author just wrote about Lisa's childlife of just her present life, the story would become cumbersome to read. I would be much less interested in the lifestyle of a native Canadian. Also, had the author not done this I wouldn't understand much of the book, because in Lisa's present life she refers back to her childhood, so if I hadn't read the childhood I wouldn't be able to understand the novel.