Genre
Science fiction
Setting and Context
The novel largely takes place in a remote farmhouse.
Narrator and Point of View
The novel is told from Junior's first person point of view.
Tone and Mood
The tone is tense, unsettling, and introspective. The mood is eerie and atmospheric.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Junior is the novel's protagonist; Terrance is the antagonist for much of the novel.
Major Conflict
The interpersonal difficulties between Junior and Henrietta, as they navigate the reality of Junior's impending absence.
Climax
When the real Junior comes back home after his mission, revealing the Junior readers knew for much of the novel to be an android.
Foreshadowing
Junior's struggles with his wife foreshadow the reveal that Henrietta becomes an android at the end of the novel.
Understatement
Terrance's calm, matter-of-fact assertions about the radical nature of what he will do with Junior and Henrietta are understated throughout the novel.
Allusions
There are allusions to other works on science fiction, literature, and philosophy.
Imagery
Reid uses descriptive, evocative imagery to describe the desolation and isolation of Junior and Henrietta's life.
Paradox
Junior, who seems to be an inconspicuous farmer with few skills, is paradoxically forced to go on a vitally important mission to space.
Parallelism
Not applicable.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
"Instillation" is used to refer to the large space station orbiting Earth on which important scientific work is done.
Personification
The android version of Junior is imbued with human characteristics.
