Genre
Gay Novel, Tragedy.
Setting and Context
Brooklyn, Paris and South of France. The protagonist trying to come into terms with his homosexual self.
Narrator and Point of View
The protagonist, David, is the narrator and he narrates the whole novel from a first-person point of view.
Tone and Mood
Nostalgic, confessional, and tragic.
Protagonist and Antagonist
David is the protagonist and the society’s heterosexual norms play the role of the antagonist.
Major Conflict
David has a fiancé, Hella, who does not know about his homosexual side. He falls in love with an Italian guy, Giovanni, but struggles to accept his homosexuality.
Climax
Giovanni murdering Guillaume.
Foreshadowing
David hinting Giovanni’s death beforehand.
Understatement
When David foreshadows his guilt, it clearly understates the fact that his confusions destroy Giovanni’s life and Hella’s too.
Allusions
N/A
Imagery
The time imagery, underwater imagery of Giovanni’s room, home and wanderer imagery are pretty obvious ones.
Paradox
David knows he would leave Giovanni for Hella yet falls in love with Giovanni. He gets back to Hella but can never get his mind off Giovanni in intimate times.
Parallelism
David’s search for home is parallel with his search for his true self.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
David’s father stands for the idea of home and family for David and that is a metonymy. David’s homophobic hometown stands for the homophobic ideals of the society and that is a metonymy.
Personification
N/A
