Life in Croatia
In Croatia, life was idyllic for Ana. Her job was to grow and enjoy herself. The countryside is her home, and she lives embedded in a small village. She loves her life in Croatia, and she knows there are political troubles in her part of the world, but when suddenly, her parents tell her that they are at war and the enemy is coming, Croatia is proven to be volatile. She realizes her sense of paradise will be lost forever. Croatia represents innocence lost, because Ana has to leave this home as a refugee.
A child's perspective
Ana's perspective adds an important layer of imagery to the novel, because Ana is truly innocent. She struggles to fathom the reality of war, because of its absurdity. It is as though she were in a horror movie and the worst imaginable fates were upon her. Also, one should consider that Ana is just at the age that she might start understanding the seriousness of death and the permanence of death. She struggles to appreciate that she and her family are also eligible to die.
Horror and warfare
For adults and children alike, the horror of warfare is permanently damaging, but for young Ana, it is absolutely devastating. Although the war itself is eclipsed by the narrative, the reader sees Ana's growing fear, her peak nervousness in anticipation of warfare, and the reader knows through inference that her family was attacked but survived. Her home is permanently removed from her. The story jumps to Ana living in New York City, but the reader knows her true home is gone forever.
New York City
In New York, Ana is safe, but she is absolutely wracked with post-trauma and depression. It is clear from her intimation that New York is an overwhelming, stimulating place, and Ana struggles to adjust. She is in need of peace and healing, but the city is always busy and active. She struggles to survive socially, because others dislike her depression, but they don't know that she is a refugee and a survivor of serious warfare.
