Genre
Young adult fiction
Setting and Context
Mumbilli, Australia in the present day
Narrator and Point of View
An unnamed, third-person omniscient narrator.
Tone and Mood
The tone is tense; the mood is uneasy.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Tom Brennan is the protagonist; Daniel is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel occurs when Tom's brother is sent to prison after a celebratory night goes wrong.
Climax
The climax of the story is reached when the impact of Tom and his family having to leave their hometown is revealed.
Foreshadowing
The relationship Tom develops with Chrissy is foreshadowed by the fact that they both have similar outlooks on life.
Understatement
The impact of change on children is understated throughout the novel.
Allusions
The story alludes to the ways in which we struggle to adapt to the new situations we're put into.
Imagery
The imagery of Daniel's isolation in jail is present in the novel.
Paradox
The fact that Daniel is supposed to Tom's protective brother, yet is trapped in jail, is an example of paradox in the story.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between the alcohol abuse that Tom develops and his rough childhood.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
