Genre
Fiction, Irish Fiction
Setting and Context
Ireland, and London after WW2
Narrator and Point of View
The narrator is third person until the final of the three sections of the novel when Baba becomes the first person narrator of her own story.
Tone and Mood
The tone is varied; it ranges from excitable and anticipatory to melancholy and heartbroken. The mood is generally positive and hopeful.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Baba and Kate are the protagonists and in general the expectations of Irish society are their antagonist. Kate is the protagonist in a relationship with still-married Eugene in which he is the antagonist, as is his estranged wife.
Major Conflict
There is conflict between Kate and Eugene over religious differences.
Climax
The women both leave Ireland for London where they want to explore their sexuality more and also meet more people who are able to broaden their horizons.
Foreshadowing
Eugene's continued communication with his estranged wife foreshadows his failure to go after Kate when she leaves.
Understatement
Baba calls their childhoods sheltered which is an enormous understatement given the insular nature of their upbringing and the way in which they were not allowed to meet anyone outside of their own religion.
Allusions
The book constantly alludes to contemporary politicians and criticizes their view of women and what their role in society it and should be.
Imagery
N/A
Paradox
Kate does not understand why Baba likes to meet so many different men but after breaking up with Eugene begins to explore her sexuality as well and begins to live the same lifestyle as Baba.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between the way the girls were brought up in the sheltered life of the convent and their need to break free of these constraints and go out on their own in search of real life.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The convent is a way of describing the staff and principal of the school that they attended.
Personification
N/A
