Genre
Fiction
Setting and Context
North London, specifically Rob Fleming's vinyl record store.
Narrator and Point of View
The story is told from Rob's point of view.
Tone and Mood
Reflective and somewhat melancholic; comedic in places.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Rob is the protagonist, his commitment phobia is the antagonist in that it ruins his life.
Major Conflict
There is conflict between Rob and Laura's new older boyfriend regarding Rob's tendency to chase after Laura when she does not want him to.
Climax
Rob has an epiphany and makes Laura a mix tape, the highest form of commitment that he feels he can give.
Foreshadowing
Rob's cheating and Laura's finding out about it foreshadows the end of their relationship which happens shortly before the start of the novel.
Understatement
Rob feels that he has a fear of commitment which is an understatement since he is a repeat cheater and by his own admission has one foot out of the door in every relationship he is involved in.
Allusions
Because Rob owns a record store and is so obsessed with creating the perfect mix tape he frequently alludes to some of his favorite tunes of the 1980s.
Imagery
There is not really much imagery outside of the record store, whose stuffed full racks are well described so that the reader is able to imagine a sense of claustrophobia within and most likely a musty smell because of all of the card record sleeves crammed in together.
Paradox
Rob wants to make a commitment to Laura when they are not together anymore, but the reason they are not together is because of his complete lack of commitment.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between Rob's fear of commitment and his fear of death; as one escalates, so does the other and he eventually attributes his commitment phobia to his fear of dying.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
