Shiloh is written in first-person present tense, with Marty as the narrator.

Although the unusual style takes a few pages to get used to, soon the reader skims over the "I say" and "Ma tells me" phrasings and gets into the story.

Naylor employs a mild dialect, dropping the final "g" on words such as "doin'," "lookin'," and "laughin'."

More effective in portraying the hill people of Friendly are the regional habits she highlights: Marty's sister dipping her bread in cold tea; eating fried rabbit; the neighbors' ritual of passing the time of day before getting down to the business at hand; and the postal customers leaving food in the mailboxes for Ray Preston. Naylor's use of colloquialisms also enhances the tone of the story. "Whopping" for "whipping" and Shiloh's "legs going lickety-split" add a Southern flavor to the story.

Complex characterization is a Naylor trademark...