Genre
Historical fiction
Setting and Context
The novel is set in the 1930s in Denver, Colorado and the mystical realm of Luz's ancestors.
Narrator and Point of View
The novel is told from a third-person point of view.
Tone and Mood
The novel is mournful, solemn, violent, tense, intense, magical, mystical, and exploratory.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Luz Lopez is the protagonist of the novel; the racism and violent behavior Luz has to deal with is the antagonist of the novel.
Major Conflict
Luz's struggle to survive despite not having a job or support system and her struggle to understand her past and ancestors.
Climax
When Luz is finally able to save the stories of her family and people from being summarily destroyed.
Foreshadowing
Diego being run out of town by a white mob is foreshadowed by his early interactions with Luz.
Understatement
The danger that Luz faces while going around Denver in the 1930s is understated frequently in the novel.
Allusions
There are a number of allusions to the culture, language, and religion of the Native Americans, the geography of the U.S., Colorado, and Denver, as well as allusions to Catholicism/Christianity, science, and music.
Imagery
As Luz moves into the spiritual realm, ghost-like imagery becomes more common.
Paradox
Luz is a young woman (far too young to be on her own), yet her brother didn't take her with him when he left town.
Parallelism
N/A.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Guns are used to refer to firearms; Denver is used to refer to the capital of Colorado and the seat of government in Colorado.
Personification
The spiritual world Luz enters is personified and given human characteristics and traits throughout the book.
