Genre
Short story
Setting and Context
The short story collection is set in 2004 in Angelus and Perth, Western Australia.
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person perspective
Tone and Mood
The tone is benevolent, and the mood is whimsical.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist in several stories in The Turning is Vic Lang, and the antagonist is Borner.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is in "The Turning", where Bob and his colleagues clash over working ethics. The police officers are corrupt and are involved in the illegal drug business.
Climax
The climax comes in "Reunion" when Vic and his father reconcile beside Carol's deathbed. Carol dies of Cancer, but she ensures her son and father reunite before she passes away.
Foreshadowing
In "Damaged Goods," Vic's memories of his first girlfriend foreshadow the strained relationship between him and his wife, Gail.
Understatement
In "The Turning," Maxi understates his mockery of Frank when he tells him he is the cause of their mother's mysterious departure. Following the mockery, Frank leaves home and never returns.
Allusions
“Cockleshell” alludes to Medusa, a Greek ogre with snakes for hair that symbolize doom.
Imagery
Touch imagery is described in “Big World” when Borner says, “the beginning of that short period of grace when my very limbs tingled with relief, and the dread of failure had yet to set in." The imagery is significant because it depicts Borner’s feelings.
Paradox
The main paradox is in "The Turning" when Carol forgives Bob despite abandoning her with the responsibility of raising children alone. After enduring difficult times and struggles to raise the children, readers do not expect Carol to forgive her irresponsible husband.
Parallelism
n/a
Metonymy and Synecdoche
n/a
Personification
Cancer is personified when Caro says it has called her to her destiny.
