Genre
Coming-of-age novel
Setting and Context
The novel is set in Vermont.
Narrator and Point of View
The novel is narrated by the protagonist, Bug, and is written in a first-person point of view.
Tone and Mood
The tone is warm but anxious. The mood is initially ominous, but becomes joyful by the end.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist of the novel is Bug. There is no antagonist.
Major Conflict
The main conflict in the novel is Bug's struggle with his gender.
Climax
The climax occurs when Bug's sees himself in the mirror, with a shaved head, and realizes he is a boy.
Foreshadowing
Bug's gender identity is foreshadowed in the scene where he feels uncomfortable wearing a dress at the wake.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The novel alludes to websites like YouTube as well as well-known transgender celebrities, like Laverne Cox.
Imagery
N/A
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
