Additionally, American Sign Language used in dialogue between characters is written in italicized ASL Gloss.

An example of this gloss form, coming from Lyson about his desire for a homeland for the Deaf is as follows: You know that Laurent Clerc had same dream.

Islay 's different coding styles are unique, but easily understood by those with a background in American Sign Language and TTYs.

Some people speculated it was a mix of the finger spelled acronyms for "I Love You" (ILY) and American Sign Language (ASL) while others hypothesized it was derived from "island".

His wife, in the beginning of the novel is embarrassed by his dream and keeps Lyson behind lock and key when he is working on his project.

In the first section, "Strings", the book's protagonist Lyson Sulla is in the beginning stages of his plans for a state by and for Deaf people.

Once there, he spends a week's time looking over the state, seeing how it will work for him, and meeting with public officials.

The second section, "Drums" documents Lyson's travels to recruit other Deaf people to move to Islay.

In the last section, "Cymbals", many Deaf people move their families to Islay and open businesses.