The TWC Facebook Summer Reading Club: Michael Kimball's Us

The summer reading club has begun. Stop on by our Facebook page to participate. Here's the first prompt:

Our summer book club will last the next three weeks. We'll be discussing Michael Kimball's novel US. Today we'll start by discussing part one. ONLY part one. Try not to give too much away for those who've not yet read the entire book. You're more than welcome start your own discussions. Check back in to the conversation from time to time.

Week One: Part One
What strikes me about part one is the voice. It's an incredibly strong voice, and it has to be to tell this spare story. It also does something very interesting: it uses repetition.

Example:

"I stopped outside the doorway. The hallway was so much brighter than her hospital room was that I had to close my eyes. I turned around to look back inside her hospital room at her, but it was already too dark inside there for me to see my wife anymore."--page 38.

Let's talk about the voice in part one. What do you think about it? What makes it successful? Why do you think Kimball chooses to use repetition here?