Informal, Conversational, and Honest
Reading about Koly's life is like meeting a good friend for coffee and swapping stories about your week. The writing is conversational, and makes us feel like we're being spoken to directly. If something bugs her, Koly comes right out and tells us—this girl doesn't beat around the bush. For example, consider how she describes coming back after Hari's death:
When I returned home with Hari's parents, everything was different. We all tiptoed by the room where Hari had slept as if any noise would awaken him. I felt his not being there more than I had felt his being there. (4.1)
Things just got real for Koly, and we get a sense of exactly what's going down and how Koly both feels about it and deals with it from the informal and honest writing style. Koly doesn't bust out fancy language to describe this experience—her words are simple yet honest revelations of what's happening and how she feels about it. This tone keeps us reading and keeps us on team Koly. She treats us like good friends, after all, and given all she goes through, we'd hate to let her down.