Perspective

Don Richardson tells some of the story, especially Part One, from the omniscient third person point o view. He appears to have knowledge of the events since conducting interviews with the Sawi years after the fact. He tells in detail the story of Yae and his betrayal. The stories are somewhat embellished, by the addition of what Richardson assumes to be the thoughts, feelings and intentions of the men involved, based on interviews with men from similar situations.

The parts of the book that tell of Richardson's time in the jungle take place in first person point of view. Richardson tells not only the events of his early life on the mission field, but also his feelings and frustrations about the culture and his language acquisition.

Tone

Richardson keeps a reverential tone for much of novel. He credits a divine power with many events that one may usually...