What is the author's style in A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain by Robert Olen Butler?

The story is told from the first-person point of view. Dao tells the story so the reader is privy to only his thoughts, feelings, and observations. Because of this point of view, a limited and obscured view of the tumultuous events that have taken place in Vietnam over the past decades is presented—as aptly reflects Dao's limited involvement. A Hoa Hao Buddhist, Dao values harmony, which he seeks to impose on his surroundings. Since returning to the religion of his forefathers as a young man in Paris, Dao has upheld these values, thus, unlike Ho, Thang, and Loi, he has remained uninvolved in Vietnam's political strife. Living through these times, however, Dao has a sharp awareness of the difficulties that beset his country and continue to beset his countrymen, even though they are "in exile," and his musings make constant references to the problems faced. Because of this limited point of view, an understanding of the history of Vietnam in the twentieth century is essential to fully appreciate the story.