Genre
Post-apartheid novel
Setting and Context
The novel is set in the post-apartheid period in Johannesburg, South Africa. The book is written in the context of immigration and segregation.
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
The tone is explorative, and the mood is poignant.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Julie Summers and Abdu are the protagonists of the story.
Major Conflict
The major conflict occurs when Julie's car breaks down in the middle of the busy road. She causes traffic and decides to take her car to the nearby garage, where she meets an illegal migrant mechanic called Abdu.
Climax
The climax comes when Julie falls in love with the garage man and wins his heart despite her wealthy financial background. Abdu is initially reluctant but later finds his way to the 'Table Friends' where Julie is a respectable member.
Foreshadowing
The 'Table Friends' back stack behavior calls Abdu the greasy monkey foreshadowed the continuity of segregation after the post-apartheid period.
Understatement
Abdu first understated Julie's love for him. However, Abdu later realized that she was very serious, and she married, and they relocated to Abdu's home country.
Allusions
The story alludes to the possibilities of a romantic love that surpasses boundaries.
Imagery
The description of duties the local Arab wives do, such as fetching water and collecting firewood, depict sight imagery to aid readers to understand why it is difficult for Julie to adapt to the local culture.
Paradox
The main paradox circles around the romantic relationship between Julie and Abdu. It goes beyond expectation that an affluent woman from a wealthy family can marry a poor illegal immigrant.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
'Greasy Monkey' is a term used by the whites to describe people of black skin.
Personification
The monkey is personified to take the attributes of a person with black colour.
