Genre
Fiction
Setting and Context
The Palace, a hospital in a desert in the American West
Narrator and Point of View
Set in the first person from nene's perspective; written as an ongoing conversation between him and Juan
Tone and Mood
The tone is reverent, and the mood is cheerful.
Protagonist and Antagonist
nene is the protagonist of the novel.
Major Conflict
nene struggling to really confront the past; grappling with his commitment to finishing Juan's project
Climax
The climax of the novel occurs when Juan is about to die.
Foreshadowing
The flood foreshadows the renewed closeness between the narrator and Juan.
Understatement
The narrator downplays the impact of the flood when he says it is only the kitchen flooded, but he decides to leave the house and seek accommodation elsewhere.
Allusions
The novel is replete with literary and Biblical allusions, including references to Homer, Hamlet, and the Book of Ruth.
Imagery
Important imagery includes the narrator’s description of the landscape as he heads to the Palace, Juan's body in the hospital, the flood, and the farm where nene and Juan first worked together
Paradox
The closeness between the narrator and Juan is paradoxical. Despite knowing each other only for eighteen days, they are best friends.
Parallelism
n/a
Metonymy and Synecdoche
n/a
Personification
n/a
