Genre
Science Fiction
Setting and Context
In pre and post-apocalyptic London and Rosewater, Nigeria
Narrator and Point of View
The book is told from the point of view of a teenager named Kaaro.
Tone and Mood
The book is violent, oppressive, fantastical, political, intense, and oftentimes solemn.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Kaaro (Protagonist); Wormwood (Antagonists)
Major Conflict
Kaaro's struggle to survive in the world changed by the Wormwood and his efforts to stop the Wormwood's assault on humanity.
Climax
When Kaaro learns that the Wormwood are replacing human DNA with their own DNA.
Foreshadowing
Kaaro eventually being recruited by S45 is foreshadowed by his career as a thief.
Understatement
The despair many humans feel because of the Wormwood is understated throughout some of the book.
Allusions
The book alludes to the geography of Nigeria and the United Kingdom, to the history of the world and Nigeria, to human religion, other science fiction books (like Arthur C. Clarke's 2001), and to the politics of the United States (particularly Donald Trump, whose policies this novel criticizes).
Imagery
As the situation involving humans gets more bleak, violent imagery is used more frequently.
Paradox
The Wormwood are technologically advanced, but were unable to stop the creation of the sensitives, all of whom posed a threat to the Wormwood themselves.
Parallelism
The stories of Kaaro and the rest of the members of the S45 (how they joined, their background, and the work they do) are frequently paralleled with each other.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Wormwood is used to refer to all of the members of the Wormwood race.
Personification
The dome erected over Rosewater is personified throughout the book and is given human-like characteristics.
