Genre
Fantasy
Setting and Context
The action is set during present time, but there is no setting mentioned.
Narrator and Point of View
The action is told from the perspective of a third-person subjective point of view.
Tone and Mood
The tone and mood are neutral.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Alia Shammas and the antagonist is her husband.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is between guilt and redemption.
Climax
The story reaches its climax when Alia Shammas' mother dies.
Foreshadowing
The narrator mentions at the beginning of the story that Alia Shammas was abandoned by her husband. This foreshadows later instances in which other partners will abandon Alia Shammas.
Understatement
At the beginning of the novel, the narrator describes the characters as not being religious at all and as not being interested in religious matters. This however proves to be an understatement towards the middle of the novel when the main character's daughter wants to marry a Muslim man and the parents refuse to allow her to do it simply because the man does not have the religion they want.
Allusions
One of the main allusions we find here is the idea that it is ok for men to cheat on their wives but it is not ok for wives to be unfaithful.
Imagery
One of the most important images appears in the middle of the novel when the narrator describes Anton writing alone in his room. This image is an important one because it transmits the idea that in order to be able to create art, one must make great sacrifices.
Paradox
One of the main paradoxical ideas is that the main character is still willing to forgive her husband even after he abandoned her and their children.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The term grass is used in the novel as a general term to make reference to the idea of the connection a person has with nature.
Personification
We have a personification in the line "the streets were lined with judging trees whispering as she passed them by".
