Why did the author choose to tell stories about zeitouns childhood?

The flashbacks in this section become increasingly idyllic. There are long interludes describing Zeitoun’s storybook childhood on Arwad Island. Even Kathy’s gritty upbringing is rendered with some nostalgia, with Eggers focusing on the love she found at Yuko’s house rather than the neglect she faced at her own. There is stark contrast between the family’s former happiness and the ominous scenes in which Zeitoun prepares for Katrina. Indeed, their separation during the disaster is the source of more dread than the disaster itself—a fact that foreshadows the difficulties they will have as they try to reunite.