Genre
Fictional novel
Setting and Context
The action takes place in Delhi during the summer of 1996.
Narrator and Point of View
The story is told from the perspective of a third-person subjective point of view.
Tone and Mood
The tone and mood used here is a tragic and violent one.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonists are Tushar and Nakul Khurana and the antagonist is the suicide bomber.
Major Conflict
The major conflict present here is between the normal people who just want to live their lives in peace and the terrorists who want to kill as many people as possible.
Climax
The story reaches its climax when Mansoor returns back to India and becomes an activist.
Foreshadowing
The bombing mentioned at the beginning of the book foreshadows the later bombings described as taking place in different countries all over the world.
Understatement
After the bombing, Mansoor claims that he was not affected by the events to which he was a witness. This however is an understatement because the narrator later described how much Mansoor was affected on a physical and psychological level.
Allusions
N/A
Imagery
The most important image found here is that of the mutilated bodies of Tushar and Nakul Khurana. This image is important because it transmits the idea that no one is safe when it comes to terror attacks and that usually, those who are innocent suffer the most.
Paradox
The main paradox we find here is the fact that the bombers are not always portrayed in a negative way, the narrator often taking their side and deciding to sympathize with their cause.
Parallelism
A parallel is drawn between two distinctive groups of bombers: those who only want to cause terror and those who become bombers because they militate for a cause such as the independence of the country. This parallel is important because through it the narrator transmits the idea that not every bomber should be treated the same or criticized the same and that the public should think about the motives behind the actions.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Blood is used here as a general term through which the narrator makes reference to the idea of suffering and pain.
Personification
We have a personification in the line "the ground beneath her feet became holy, spreading warm and an engulfing sense of peace."
