Genre
thriller, mystery
Setting and Context
Austin, Texas, present
Narrator and Point of View
Narrator: the main character Hannah
Point of view: first person
Tone and Mood
Suspenseful, tense
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Hannah, Bailey; Antagonist: Nicholas Bell and his criminal clients
Major Conflict
Expecting her husband to come home, Hannah opens up a door to a strange girl handing her a note from him instead that says: "Protect her.", referring to his daughter Bailey. Hannah soon discovers that the software company her husband worked for was shut down and under investigation for a Ponzi scheme, and her husband disappeared without a trace.
Climax
In an effort to save Bailey and her identity, Hannah pays a visit to Nicholas Bell, hoping to persuade him by counting on his grandfatherly love. She succeeds to get herself and Bailey under his protection in exchange for never communicating with Owen.
Foreshadowing
"He would never leave Bailey unless he absolutely had to."
-foreshadowing of something more sinister being behind Owen's escape, and not just a run from police because of the software company.
Understatement
"So you certainly went and made a mess of everything now," he says.
- Grady Bradford towards Hannah after she discovers that Hannah is gone and instead of her, he is standing there in her room. What makes this an understatement is the fact that "mess" refers to indirectly putting herself and Bailey in life-threatening danger by coming to Austin.
Allusions
"Each species of wood has its own distinctive patterns and colors, which are revealed when the bowl is turned."
- Phillip Moulthrop, a famous American wood turner.
Imagery
"And - in a bright flood - hundreds and hundreds of bats start to fly up from beneath the bridge out into the sky. The crowd cheers as the bats move in an almost ribbonlike formation - an enormous, orchestrated, beautiful swarm of them."
- This visual imagery of bats appears in a moment of high tension as Bailey and Hannah are escaping Charlie from the bar.
Paradox
"The first step to making something out of nothing."
- a paradoxical phrase often used, used within the context of creating something of value out of something that has no value
Parallelism
"He loved taking his daughter to the ballet in San Francisco.
He loved taking his daughter on hikes in Sonoma County.
He loved taking his daughter for breakfast."
Metonymy and Synecdoche
"Home. When you weren't sure you'd ever get to have one. That's what he was to me."
Personification
"They always follow the money." - Money being personified as an entity to follow.
