Genre
Young Adult novel
Setting and Context
The story takes place at a private school in Heath Cliff, Pennsylvania.
Narrator and Point of View
The story is narrated by an unnamed third-person omniscient narrator; the point of view shifts between Tamaya and Marshall.
Tone and Mood
The tone is detached and didactic; the mood is ominous and triumphant.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist of the story is Tamaya; the antagonists are Chad, Marshall and Hope.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is that Tamaya must overcome her fear of breaking the rules to find Chad in the woods.
Climax
The story reaches its climax when Tamaya, Chad and Marshall are rescued in the forest and brought to the hospital.
Foreshadowing
The strange appearance of the mud when Tamaya first sees it foreshadows the mud's destructive properties.
