Genre
Latinx fiction
Setting and Context
The novel is set in New York in 2009. Cara speaks to Lissette in an office in Manhattan. She lives in the neighborhood of Washington Heights. Some brief scenes also take place in the Dominican Republic.
Narrator and Point of View
The novel is narrated from Cara's first-person perspective. There are some insertions of documents from her job search as well as legal documents and rent statements.
Tone and Mood
The tone of the novel is emotional and humorous. The mood of the novel is tragicomic.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist of the novel is Cara. The antagonists of the novel are her husband, Ricardo, and her mother.
Major Conflict
The main conflict of the novel is Cara's financial insecurity resulting from her job loss.
Climax
The climax of the novel occurs when Cara reveals that she hit her son with an iron.
Foreshadowing
The violence Cara commits against her son is foreshadowed when she mentions that he complained about him pushing her.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The story makes multiple references to then-president Barack Obama.
Imagery
N/A
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
