Genre
Fiction
Setting and Context
Scotland, from the 1950s to the present
Narrator and Point of View
Third person narrator from the point of view of both Esme Lennox and Iris Lockhart
Tone and Mood
Tragic and sad
Protagonist and Antagonist
Esme is the protagonist; her family and accepted propriety the antagonists
Major Conflict
Constant conflict between Esme and her parents because she will not behave in the way that they demand
Climax
The discovery that Iris is actually Esme's granddaughter is the climax of the novel
Foreshadowing
Kitty tells Iris that "she wouldn't let go of the baby" and although Iris doesn't understand what this means or foreshadows the discovery that Kitty took Esme's baby for her own
Understatement
Iris was given some "pretty frocks" which is an understatement as one of them is a once in a lifetime couture gown
Allusions
Alex alludes to the condition Tourette's Syndrome when he asks why Iris is yelling out curse words
Imagery
The sterile, faceless and characterless hospital is described in a way that appeals to all of our senses: the perpetual smell of horrible food to out sense of smell, the cacophony of shouting to our hearing, the nondescript nothingness to our visual sense
Paradox
Iris had a picture of Kitty and an "unknown girl" on her picture board but paradoxically knew of Esme all the time because she is the unknown girl in the photo
Parallelism
There is a parallel between Esme's belief that women should be treated equally to men and Iris' similar belief
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The ward is often used to represent the patients within it
Personification
The building was watching Iris / giving the building the ability to watch and interpret what it is seeing
