Genre
Young adult, sci-fi, coming of age novel
Setting and Context
Ealing, Iowa, apocalypse
Narrator and Point of View
Austin Szerba
Tone and Mood
Ambivalent, Intense
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Autin Szerba Antagonist: 412E plague
Major Conflict
The 412E plague is in the atmosphere, turning humans into man-eating mantises who only want to eat and mate.
Climax
The trio find out that Robby's blood is the antidote of the plague, and they have to save both their town and the world.
Foreshadowing
When Robby writes "GRANT WALLACE MURDERED ME" with his nose blood after the fight, it foreshadows that Robby will, in fact, try killing Robby.
Understatement
Robby smearing out the nose-bleed is an understatement, as it led to his blood being the host of the plague.
Allusions
The reader might have allusions to the bible, as Eden is the name of the shelter, but also other apocalyptic books such as "The Maze Runner", which also ends with the protagonist running into a shelter called Eden.
Imagery
The image of the mantises is both absurd and important, as they show the thought process and pure randomness the author, Andrew Smith, had while writing the book.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
There is a talking bird called Baby, which is owned by Hungry Jack.
