Katherine Paterson has said that she gives little thought to her writing style, allowing the demands of the story to determine her style. In The Master Puppeteer, Paterson's writing is simple, clear, and direct. The first scenes of the novel introduce the central character and setting, and propel the narrative forward with film-like efficiency. The novel begins with a close-up of Jiro trying to paint a puppet. A traveling shot follows him into the family cooking area, where his mother scolds him for being an annoyance. A second traveling shot follows him out into the street, where a larger establishing shot reveals the starvation-threatened world of Osaka.

Paterson employs terse, ironic statements about life's moral complexities.

Perhaps this is part of the Japanese influence on The Master Puppeteer, which abounds with little "truths" or proverbs: "Ah—manners—they can be taught, but spirit&mdash...