What is the author's tone in the novel, Theory of Bastards?

The characters communicate (and miscommunicate) in several languages, including spoken English, written English, sign language, and gestures. Within those categories, each character communicates in their own style. For example, Frankie, the main character, is blunt and straightforward, due to many years spent in Manhattan and living with physical pain. Her assistant, Stotts, on the other hand, is soft-spoken and thoughtful, being from the Midwest. However, as their relationship develops, they meet somewhere in the middle: “He didn’t speak as Kansas-polite around her anymore. She didn’t speak as Manhattan-rude around him. They were instead developing a common language” (2218).