In an era much influenced by film and video media, Butler composes with much attention to visual effects. The Alleys of Eden is divided into two books — the first based in Vietnam, and the second based in the United States.

Within the chapters of each book, however, Cliff frequently falls into reverie, with memories of his courtship, marriage and divorce, college education, social and political activism, military training and Vietnam duty assignments fading in and out of his perceptions of his immediate present. Such time shifts and fades may occur within a single paragraph or even within a single sentence.