Language and Meaning

The novel, while written in English, introduces phrasing from numerous other languages, forcing the reader to interpret meaning based on context alone. This style, while difficult to comprehend at times, provides an authentic feel to the story, as the characters include individuals of Turkish, Jewish, French, German, American, Italian, Armenian, and English decent. With such a variety of cultures represented, the use of other languages to convey honesty and strong convictions is vital to the storyline. Further, since written as a report to the Sultan, the text is presented in a somewhat non-chronologic order that can be confusing, but is again necessary to convey the narrator's often confused state of mind. Flashbacks are common, as are plot introductions far in advance to the storyline that explains them. Pascali writes often in symbolism and metaphors, conveying a sense of humanity in his narration.