The most notable elements of style used in this novel are
the first person narrative and the character through which the story is told: a 16 year
old Japanese American.
Though this book is a work of
fiction, it has been praised for its ability to portray a realistic picture of an area
of history that has been much overlooked and certainly under-appreciated. Through
interviews with real Japanese American veterans, Graham recreates the experience of
serving the US during WW2 through their perspective, which was more
negative than positive.
Because the voice in the story is
that of a 16 year old, students are able to not only identify immediately with the age
and inexperienced perspective, but are invited to read Eddy's thoughts and feel Eddy's
feelings through realities that they themselves will never
experience.
Finally, the style of writing has been praised
as "immediate," meaning, readers experience the action as it takes place rather than
hear the retelling from years after it happened. In this way, the novel is similar to
Erich Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front. Both books are
noteworthy for daring to present the horrors of war and the horrors of human nature with
such honesty and detail, because the stories are told while the
main character is still feeling the effects of his
circumstances.
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