Genre
Coming-of-Age; Mystery; Country Noir.
Setting and Context
The novel is set in the modern day in the Ozarks, a mountain range in Missouri, United States.
Narrator and Point of View
The book is narrated by an unnamed third-person narrator; the point of view stays with Ree Dolly, the protagonist.
Tone and Mood
The tone is colloquial and solemn; the mood is ominous and alarming.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Ree Dolly; antagonists include her missing father and the locals who refuse to help her find him.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is that Ree's family home will be repossessed unless she can track down her father and make him appear in court to face charges.
Climax
The story reaches its climax when Mrs. Thump brings Ree to where her father’s corpse has been sunk in an icy pond and makes Ree cut off his hands so she can prove his death to the police.
Foreshadowing
Thump's warning to Ree that she needs to stop asking after her father's whereabouts foreshadows the beating she receives upon returning to Thump's property.
