Genre
Political drama
Setting and Context
Bogota, Colombia in the 1990's and the present day.
Narrator and Point of View
Antonio Yammara, in the first-person
Tone and Mood
The tone is tense and thrilling; the mood is uneasy and powerful.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Antonio is the protagonist; Ricardo is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel occurs when Antonio gets one of the students in his law class pregnant.
Climax
The climax of the story is reached when Antonio meets Ricardo for the first time, and shows a significant interest in his life and his past.
Foreshadowing
The death of Ricardo is foreshadowed by the risky life that he has lead and the fact that he was in trouble with a gang.
Understatement
The impact that a drugs trade has an ordinary lives is understated throughout the novel.
Allusions
The story alludes to the blurred line between what is right and wrong, and the challenges faced as a result.
Imagery
The imagery of the negative consequences of drug abuse is present in the novel.
Paradox
The fact that Antonio is a professor in law, yet gets involved in drugs is an example of paradox in the story.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between the treatment of Aura and the treatment of many Colombian women at the time.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
