Genre
Mystery/Young Adult
Setting and Context
Bayview High School, outside San Diego, circa 2017
Narrator and Point of View
The book has four narrators: Addy, Bronwyn, Nate, and Cooper. It switches between their perspectives, often several times in a chapter.
Tone and Mood
This fast-paced book varies in tone, but the characters generally go from expressing shame and fear to expressing resolve and self-confidence.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The four narrators are the protagonists. Simon and Jake are the antagonists.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the plot is between the four narrators and the structural forces that would pin Simon’s murder on them. Towards the end of the novel, when they learn of Jake’s involvement, there is explicit conflict between Addy and Jake.
Climax
The climax of the book comes when Addy visits Janae’s house, learning the truth of Simon’s suicide and Jake’s involvement, and when Jake subsequently attacks her.
Foreshadowing
When Simon states that he is “the omniscient narrator,” it foreshadows the eventual revelation that he has planned his suicide as well as his classmates’ investigation by the police.
Understatement
Allusions
The book alludes to pop culture, including The Breakfast Club, The Divergent film series, the Japanese horror movie Ringu, and bands including MGMT. It also alludes to Walt Whitman's poem "Song of Myself," which appears as a motif.
Imagery
This fast-paced novel, narrated by social media-obsessed teens, does not spend too much time providing imagery. However, it clearly establishes the suburban high school setting and the four narrators’ physical beauty.
Paradox
Parallelism
There is strong parallelism between the four character’ narratives of police interrogation.
The dissolution of Jake and Addy’s romance, built on mistrust, parallels the rise of Nate and Bronwyn’s, built on deep trust.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
About That serves as a fictional metonym for all modes of social media (Facebook, SnapChat, Twitter, TikTok, etc.)
