The novel has garnered comparisons to Things Fall Apart in part due to the central role prophecy has in each novel.[6] However, some critics disputed the validity of the comparisons.[7] It also references the Biblical story of Cain and Abel, and has been referred to as a "retelling" of the story.[6][8]
Multiple critics referred to the novel as a Bildungsroman given that it is told from the perspective of one brother, and charts his youth.[9][10]