Genre
Young adult
Setting and Context
The novel is primarily set in Las Vegas
Narrator and Point of View
The novel is told from the first-person perspectives of five different teenagers: Eden, Seth, Whitney, Ginger, and Cody.
Tone and Mood
The tone is somber and reflective. The mood is intense.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Each of the teens' personal circumstances is the antagonist in the novel; Eden, Sean, Whitney, Ginger, and Cody is the novel's protagonist.
Major Conflict
Each character faces personal conflicts, ranging from family issues to identity and sexuality struggles to financial hardships.
Climax
The climax in each short story contained in the novel occurs when each of the characters reach their breaking point.
Foreshadowing
Seth Parnell finally coming out to his father is foreshadowed by his internal dialogue in which he struggles to determine if he will safe coming out to his father.
Understatement
The heightened emotions in several situations is understated by the verse style that Hopkins wrote the novel in.
Allusions
There are allusion to other works of literature, contemporary events, and cultural references of the time the novel was published (2009).
Imagery
Hopkins often uses intense, vivid imagery to describe the depths of each character's emotions.
Paradox
n/a
Parallelism
The verse format of the novel often employs parallel structures to emphasize thematic ideas, like the uniform awfulness of the teenage experience.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
n/a
Personification
The drugs that several teenagers take are often personified in the novel.
