Genre
Thriller
Setting and Context
The action in the thriller takes place over the course of a few months inside the main character's house.
Narrator and Point of View
The action is told from the perspective of a first-person subjective point of view.
Tone and Mood
The tone and mood is a violent one.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Morgan and the antagonist is Bennett.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is between the truth and appearances.
Climax
The story reaches its climax when Morgan finds the truth about Bennett and realizes that she had problems of her own which she must deal with.
Foreshadowing
When Morgan describes the dogs watching her from afar as she is abused by Bennett she also foreshadows the scene in which the dogs will kill him.
Understatement
After Bennett dies, Morgan claims that it is not her fault that she attracts dangerous men. This is an understatement because at the end of the thriller it is proven that Morgan is also partially to blame for what happened to her.
Allusions
The main allusion we find in the book is the idea that many are unaware of the behaviour they have and that they are unable to control it completely.
Imagery
N/A
Paradox
One of the main paradoxes in the book is the way in which Morgan lets herself be abused even though she had a good education in psychology and she also studied criminal justice.
Parallelism
A parallel can be drawn between the dogs Morgan fosters and the men she decides to date. Both the animals and the men are dangerous but she is unable to really see this. Because of this inability, Morgan suffers and finds herself becoming a victim.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The Pitbulls are used here as a general way to make reference to the dangerous nature of the men Moran brought into her life.
Personification
We have a personification in the sentence "the carpets drank the blood".
