What is the author's tone in The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy?

The tone renders a shocking contrast against the ugliness that creeps into the lives of the Wingo children. "We said our prayers together, and she kissed each of us good night. She turned out the light and although we heard her footsteps descend the winding stairs, her perfume lingered in the darkness. I fell asleep listening to the wind in the trees. Two hours later I awoke and saw his face in the window...a paralysis of exquisite, impenetrable terror entered each cell of my body." (Page 135)