In the Time of the Butterflies Tone

Reverent Yet Familiar

The author's attitude towards the four Mirabal sisters is obviously reverent—she's in awe of these amazing sisters. By inserting herself into the novel as the interviewer, she can be a little self-deprecating—"her Spanish is not so good" (1.1.2)—and therefore contrast with the super-duper sisters and their terrible loss. Like she says, perhaps this is the only way to grieve the big things—in snippets, pinches, little sips of sadness" (1.1.19).