Genre
Bildungsroman, Psychological Fiction
Setting and Context
Set within a contemporary black community in Southern California
Narrator and Point of View
It is narrated in third-person from the perspective of Nadia and also in first-person from the point of view of “The Mothers” in a collective voice.
Tone and Mood
Solemn and Judgmental
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Nadia Turner; Antagonist: The Mothers and Trauma
Major Conflict
Following the loss of her mother to suicide Nadia’s father becomes emotionally absent which prods her to go through a rebellious phase. The sexual relationship with the pastor’s son Luke leads to unwanted pregnancy and consequently an abortion. Their choices at this age shape their lives even in adulthood as these secrets in a religious community haunt their reality.
Climax
The climax takes place when Nadia’s father finds out that she had an abortion with the help of the pastor which the entire community later learns.
Foreshadowing
“All good secrets have a taste before you tell them, and if we’d taken a moment to swish this one around our mouths, we might have noticed the sourness of an unripe secret, plucked too soon, stolen and passed around before its season. But we didn’t.”
This foreshadows the weight that Nadia’s secret will have in their adulthood.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The novel alludes to the small religious communities that create an environment of judgment especially for younger women coming of age.
Imagery
“Techno pulsed through the open door in green waves as she padded up the lopsided driftwood steps. Bass rumbled through wooden floors sticky with beer, and she paused in the doorway, her eyes adjusting to the dimness.”
Paradox
The novel features the paradox that modern women have to encounter when making personal choices amid other’s judgments. The young women in the narrative in particular Nadia have to reconcile their freedom of choice and the scrutiny or shaming that comes with it.
Parallelism
The narrative focuses on the aspects of young womanhood, therefore, parallels Nadia and Aubrey since they are both motherless and suffer from some sort of trauma.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
n/a
Personification
“Down the hall, the air conditioner hummed loudly…”
