Genre
Debut novel
Setting and Context
Set from 1999 to 2009 in Eldar Village, Russia, in the context of the Chechen War.
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
Hurrying, terrific, disheartening, somber
Protagonist and Antagonist
Havaa is the central character in the text.
Major Conflict
The main conflict is when Havaa wakes up from her dreams to realize that her home had been burnt and abducted by her father. She is left for dead by the Russian Federal Authorities who invaded their home.
Climax
The climax is attained when the informant's son, who subjected Havaa's father to trouble, reveals the truth. According to the son, his father betrayed Havaa's family by giving the Russian Federal authorities information, who acted immediately by burning the home and abducting Havaa's father.
Foreshadowing
Havaa's unfortunate future was foreshadowed by the perennial Chechen war that targeted ethnic Russians.
Understatement
The atrocities of the Russian Federal authorities are understated. Besides burning homes and abductions, the authorities are responsible for murders and the surviving victims' trauma.
Allusions
The story alludes to the challenges the victims went through during the Chechen wars in Russia.
Imagery
The imagery of war is dominant throughout the text. For instance, the author describes how Havaa's home was burned and unfolding before the abductions. The imagery also aids readers to see how Sonja and Akhmed treated war victims.
Paradox
The main paradox is that Havaa wakes up from a beautiful dream to a horrifying reality. For instance, she finds her home burnt and her father abducted by the Russian Federal Authorities.
Parallelism
Havaa's nightmares parallel her realities. For instance, her nightmares are about the beauty of nature, but the reality is war, destructions, abductions and killings.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The war is incarnated as evil.
