comment on style

The novel makes use of many different dialects and modes of speech. There is Howard and the Kippses British English, Kiki’s occasional “Florida” drawl, the “transatlantic” accents of Jerome and Zora, and the faux-street slang of Levi. The characters “code-switch” -- that is, adapt their way of speaking to appear more assimilated -- throughout the novel, depending on the time and place.