What is the author's style in the novel, Mischling?

The main characters of Mischling are Eastern European and frequently express themselves in the idiosyncratic dialects and parlance of this region. Their language also allows for some insight into their individual personalities. For example, upon first arriving at the barracks in Auschwitz, Stasha reflects on the twins' past, “there were things we loved: pianos, Judy Garland, Mama weeping less” (14). The phrasing is darkly comical, first, because things were bleak enough that she could only hope for “less” weeping, and secondly because she has placed this last on her list of things they loved, after Judy Garland. When Stasha gets sick in the cottage just before the rescue by the Jewish resistance, she laments the perceived loss of her sister before remarking absurdly, “What I am saying is this—I had no choice but to vomit on the table” (235). These moments of humor are very effective in a narrative that is often grim.