Genre
literary fiction
Setting and Context
Santa Cruz California, exact time not specified
Narrator and Point of View
Narrator: omniscient;
Point of view: third person
Tone and Mood
Tone: neutral;
Mood: nightmarish, suspenseful
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Cole; Antagonist: spirits of the past
Major Conflict
Our protagonist Cole starts having nightmares about the past and a murdered priest, and he begins having visions of a man painted in black and white.
Climax
The main antagonist and murderer ends up being Robert, Cole's assistant, who got possessed by the spirit of the murdered priest in order to perform a ritual that will avenge his death and give him his world back.
Foreshadowing
"In retrospect, it seemed as though that visit had begun something, put some kind of plot in motion." p. 38
-Cole visits his childhood home and experiences a terrifying moment of nostalgia, remembering his childhood and his brother. This visit foreshadows Cole's struggle with guilt as the novel progresses.
Understatement
"Isn't it wonderful that life is interesting?" p. 145
-Onatima's commentary on the entire situation that includes Cole having nightmares and visions and killings happening around them.
Allusions
""Hi Brett," he said. "Just a little joke, from Huckleberry Finn."" p. 121
Imagery
The imagery of nature, forest, earth and animals is scattered throughout the novel and human connection with nature is the main focus of it.
Paradox
"How can we be held responsible for breaking the rules if they never tell us the rules in the first place?" p. 103
Parallelism
"I can feel it the way you feel a cold day inside a warm room.
I can feel it rushing toward this house." p. 140
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
"Sometimes at night it seems like I can hear the earth crying." p. 41
