Robinet employs a plain writing style by using simple sentences, words from everyday speech, and clear and direct statements.

She narrates the story in chronological order through the protagonist's eyes. Her realism depicts slavery and colonization without idealizing or romanticizing it.

Robinet's use of aphorism creates brief and clever statements that make wise observations about life. For example, Moses uses aphorisms at the resolution when he writes: "Cow Island: Out of treachery, truth; out of strangers, family; out of struggle, strength; and out of suffering, understanding sweeter than milk and honey in heaven."

The author's use of imagery is simple yet effective. She gives readers a concrete sensation of the slaves, their masters, and the journey of this colony by describing their attire and their surroundings.

Robinet creates her writing style by employing the historical language native to slaves who lived in the United States at...