Genre
Historical Fiction / Epistolary novel
Setting and Context
Set in Mexico and the United States in the 20th century
Narrator and Point of View
The novel is narrated in third-person but switches to first-person narration from the perspective of both Harrison and the archivist Violet Brown.
Tone and Mood
Spirited; Tactful
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Harrison William Shepherd; Antagonist: McCarthyism and political repression.
Major Conflict
In his expeditions through Mexico and the United States Harrison encounters influential Communist figures in the art world and politics. Consequently, he is caught in the middle of the political pressures due to McCarthyism which impacts the publication, censorship, and success of his books.
Climax
The climax occurs after Harrison is summoned to testify before the Un-American Activities Committee to clarify his association with Communists.
Foreshadowing
The final escape through the lacuna in Isla Pixol to fake his death is foreshadowed in the trips he took to the same site in his earlier years.
Understatement
“I’m sorry, I might have made a mistake. It was a long time ago. It might have been J. Edgar Hoover who bought the paintings.”
In the statement, Harrison understates the gravity of his trial and cross-examination linked to his supposed support for Communism.
Allusions
The novel alludes to McCarthyism during the Red Scare in the mid-20th century, accordingly refers to historical figures such as Diego Rivera, his artist wife Frida Kahlo and Leon Trotsky.
Imagery
“This morning low tide was early. The village boys collecting oysters came into the cove and said this beach belonged to them. They screamed Vete rubio, go away blond boy, scramble away like a crab over the coral rocks. The path by the lagoon makes a dark tunnel through mangrove trees to the other side of the point. The beach over there is only a thin strip of rocks, and disappears when the tide comes up. This morning the tide was lowest ever. Knobs of the reef cropped out of the water, like heads of sea animals watching.”
Paradox
Harrison is torn between two worlds in terms of national identity and political affiliation.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
“The lacuna was there again, a dark mouth in the rock.”
Lacuna is a metonymy for opening on the earth's surface.
Personification
“The palm trees waved their arms wildly in the sea wind, a gesture of desperation ignored by all.”
