Colloquial, Introspective, Fragmented
Hautman writes in a straightforward style, using the colloquial language of today's teens: "I walk past my mother, who stares at me as if I'm some sort of freak of nature" (20.25). Yup—walk down any high school hallway and you'll hear similar language.
We're in Jason's thoughts a lot, and luckily for us he's funny so it doesn't get boring. Plus Hautman takes us from an action scene to a recollection or introspection, then back to the action—which doesn't feel as half as jumpy as it might sound because Hautman is really good at maneuvering like this. For example, the first sentence of chapter one is Jason reflecting back: "
[…] getting punched hard in the face is a singular experience. (1.1)
This is before we even meet Henry, let alone get to the punch. Then Jason relates how he and Shin come upon Henry and the stooges, and the punch. Next we get a little insight into his thoughts on not retaliating. He says:
But I have to explain myself. (1.35)
A few paragraphs later Jason gives us his and Shin's physical descriptions:
Say you were walking down the street at night and you ran into me and Shin. (1.42)
Then we get the backstory on his and Shin's friendship, why they were at the water tower in the first place, and Shin's feelings about science. Finally we are back in the scene, with Jason flat on his back looking up at the water tower. And that's when the chapter ends. Most of us would lose listeners and get a prescription for ADD medication if we tried relating a story this way. But Hautman makes it work.