Genre
Thriller, Psychological Fiction, Suspense
Setting and Context
The novel is set in present-day West Belfast.
Narrator and Point of View
The novel is narrated in third-person from the perspective of an omniscient speaker.
Tone and Mood
Grim, Harrowing, Offbeat
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Vivian; Antagonist: Johnny
Major Conflict
During a hike in the park, Vivian is attacked and sexually assaulted by a teenage boy which leaves her traumatized. The ensuing questionings about the incident add to her trauma, as she has to relive the life-altering nightmare.
Climax
The climax of the novel is perhaps the courtroom scene where the defendant’s lawyer cross-examines Vivian and humiliates her.
Foreshadowing
The prologue foreshadows the ill-fated day that Vivian was sexually assaulted while taking a hike in the park.
Understatement
“You’re the third rape victim I’ve seen today. And it isn’t even nighttime yet.”
The doctor understates the frequent rape incidents that occur within a day in the locale.
Allusions
The novel draws from the author’s personal experiences that involved a sexual assault and a subsequent court trial.
Imagery
“The river below is a distant roar. The air up here smells of manure and sun and warm grass, and lazy insects drift in the filtered light beneath the trees. And then, glancing down the wooded chasm to her right, she sees a figure coming up the slope, trying to hide in the brush of the forest.”
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
The dual narrative switches from Vivian to Johnny’s version of events paralleling their sentiments before, during, and after the sexual assault.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
“…forgotten faces of grown-up jocks from middle school.
The term jock is a synecdoche for an athlete derived from the sport garmet jockstrap.
Personification
“Watching the dust motes dance in the light.”
