Genre
Novella, horror
Setting and Context
A small vacation town, the hospital, Carla's farmhouse, presumably somewhere in Argentina, time not specified
Narrator and Point of View
Narrator: Amanda
Point of view: first person
Tone and Mood
Nightmarish, tense
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Amanda; Antagonist: David
Major Conflict
Amanda is lying in a hospital, on her deathbed, with a boy called David engaging in a conversation with her about past events.
Climax
As she is about to die, David gives her a final clue, a view into the true about the worms and disease and the whereabouts of Nina.
Foreshadowing
"When David was born, he was the light of my life, he was my sun."
-Carla talks about her son, who is alive, as if he dies, foreshadows that something grotesque happened.
Understatement
"...but we have to make sure that only the spirit leaves."
-about death and swap of the spirits
Allusions
N/A
Imagery
"The air smells of rain, and a damp breeze wafts up from the ground."
-olfactory imagery
Paradox
"Your father looks around, as if he can hear the silence much farther away than my husband is capable of hearing."
Parallelism
"This is the most important thing. This is everything we need to know."
Metonymy and Synecdoche
"So this is David, I say to myself. I see you, for the first time."
-David representing something more than just a child.
Personification
"...the houses grow smaller and more humble, fighting each other for space, with tiny yards and fewer trees."
