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There was blood on her face, on her hands, on her strong legs, on her strawberry dress

Asyndetic listing
Gives the true extent of the horror of the murder
Short phrases
Narrative voice of child Joana describing the violence ageist her mother by focusing on her strawberry dress and strong legs

He walked very fast towards them, growing bigger all the time

Descriptive language and foreshadowing
Reflects the escalation of the events that are about to take place, also creates suspense and tension. 'growing bigger' also highlights his overpowering size, making them seem helpless and smaller compared to him.
The suspense and tension that Atkinson is creating reflects a key crime fiction trait.

Their mother was cut down where she stood, the great silver knife carving through her heart as if it were slicing butcher's meat

• Imagery
  • Metaphor
  • Simile

Reveals the cruel nature of the crime, highlighting Joanna's trauma - essential to the rest of the story.

mother was 'a beauty' according to their father but their mother said she was 'a painter', although she hadn't painted anything since they moved to Devon

Contrasting descriptions and the use of quotation marks show multiple levels of identity undercutting one another

Sets up the themes of self identity vs external perception and reality. Also loss of identity in marrage.

Shallow charcterizqaiton of women through a male authorial narrative

This quote is in the opening novel and establishes the third person narrative of the shock of male violence and the empathy for the victims. The tripartite of bodily parts emphasizes the passive victim statis of Joann's mother who nonetheless fought to defend her family, hinting at later subversion of gender roles

she couldn't remember what the dog was called. And there was no one left to ask

Sense of isolation, not only the loss of a memory but also the loss of those who could have helped preserve it.

Juxtaposition of humour
Irony

What is the purpose of Reggie's character

Challenges traditional detective tropes, succeeds despite personal losses

What is the significance of Reggie to the novel

Survivor of crime, symbol of resilience and complexity

Reggie context

Criticizing the lack of care for vulnerable youth in Britain at the time

"They were small, they were helpless, they were confused and Reggie's could easily identify with all of that"

The repetition of "they were" emphasizes vulnerability,
rhythmic list like structure creates overwhelming vulnerability
Her empathy and vulnerability

'She gave a little cry, a small wounded animal'

Metaphor, imagry, human cost of cost of crime and trauma, contrast between her strength adn vulnerability

She was the famous reggies, she was Regina chase girl detected She was Virgo Regina the storm tossed queen of the plucky abandoned orphans

The progression of titles add dimension, juxtaposition

Reggie and Jackson could see that it was not just a woman with a child in her arms. She was veiled in blood from top to toe and had a knife clutched in her hand. Not so much a Madonna as a great dangerous, avenging angel.

Transformation of innocence, complexity of justice. Madonna symbolizes purity adn compassion. Metaphor

Regie chase ,as small as a mouse, as quiet as a house with no one hom

Simile
Imagery
Symbolism - child like connotations remind of her youth

"Somewhere, in some Utopian nowhere, women walked without fear. (…) Give medals to all women."

Symbolism of "medals". It suggests that all of the women, at least in the novel, have suffered and deserve recognition.

IRONY of "utopian" nowhere" oxymoron. Atkinson's recognition that in the Uk women are not safe from violence and crimes against them

Feminist critic especially would find a lot of meaning within this line; the use of "Utopian" suggests to the reader that whilst this society would be ideal, it is just out of reach for the characters - and perhaps for society, too.

"The only baby, the light of the world."

The intertextual reference to western religious text enriches his roles as a hope emerging. From dispair The reaccuring metaphor of light amid darkness positions the baby's as a unique hope and innocence amongst the troubled charcters

being police was just the obverse of being criminal, after all."

Forces the reader to question neat moral decisions of society,

The word obverse suggests a direct reversal and complementary relationship. This reflects Louise' ironic view of the ineffectiveness of her rolw, she is particularly aggrieved aboyt her inability to protect the women in her care, such as Alison Needler

Subverts crime genre expectations, arbitrary distinctions between law and disorder Suggests that both criminal and police share similarity's , both operating outside normal moral order, criticism the binary right and wrong

"preferably run him over slowly with his own truck. She was beginning to…. she was more bloodthirsty than she used to be (and that was saying something)."

Violent imagery

Hyperbolic imagery, "run him over slowly with his own truck" - Creates comedy. Louise uses sarcasm and humour to es

Louise as a character

Louse represents the cynical response to personal crisis, however though the novel she is forced to confront the possibility of change

And the struggle between order and chaos found thought the novel, she lives an orderly life but longs to escape it. Her profession is bound by order but she constantly defies it

She couldn't remember what the dog was called. And there was no one left to ask

Memory loss here serves as a metaphor for the disappearance of the past due to suffering and grief.

The detached, simple phrasing evokes a sense of quiet sadness and resignation.

I'm facinated by Joana hunter shes the other side of the me the woman I never became - the good survivor , the good wife, the good mother

The listing of good qualities highlights the significance of her new life she has built for herself prior to the murders of her family.
The repetition of "good" has irony, in relation to the violence and brutality, as well as murderous acts.

In relation to victims as part of the crime fiction genre, it takes her away from expectations of sadness, grief and struggle as a victim, and gives her stronger associations.

There are no rules

The only important thing is love

Absolutism: The use of "no" creates an uncompromising tone, suggesting a complete rejection of structure, law, or expectations.
The language is uncomplicated and direct, making the message feel universal and profound.

Explores theme of justice and moral ambiguity, rejecting conventional rules for love. Also, explores the theme of loyalty and how characters may justify crime through affection and loyalty. Rejects rules altogether, implying those personal motivations (love) matter more than law enforcement or morality.

Love is central to theme and characters of the story, many feel depraved of it and seeking, highlights importance of affection and love to people, and how it affects their decision-making (Reggie's worry and subsequent investigation + Dr Hunter's ruthlessness when killing the kidnappers)

"She had spent the thirty years since the murders creating a life. It wasn't a real life, it was the simulacrum of one, but it worked." "

his quote shows the cost of crime to the victims and the appearance vs. reality, as all the other characters perceive her as essentially being perfect

The slightly ironic statement "it worked" suggests a wry tone, as despite the fact that her existence is hollow, it is functional, hinting at the complexity of trauma.

Additionally, the word simulacrum carries heavy connotations of philosophy and the or itself, which means inadequate copies of the complexity of their trauma in her response.
The contrast between real life and the simulacrum mirrors the duality between illusion and reality.

When john came back for the note she jammed the pen into his eyeball as hard as she could

The direct and stark style serves to embellish the brutal efficacy that the dr hunter possesses.

The juxtaposition of the pen, which is typically a synecdoche of civilization and unfiltered violence, portrays the duality of civilized pretense and base reality.

This qoute shows the morals gray approach to morality as the act is neither glamorized though adorning language nor portrayed as a cruel and unsatisfied act it merely strafowardly described. This is unlike a typical crime genre novel, as it doesn't make sense. Suggest to cut moral judgments.

Joana Hunter is the primary female victim of the book's plot. By portraying her as determined and unexpectedly brutal, Atkinson revises the trope in an eminent fashion typical of the early 2000s (the novel was published in 2008).

Not so much a madonna as a great dangerous avenging angel

Contrast: Madonna symbolizes purity, nurturing, and passivity, while avenging angel suggests power, danger, and retribution. This contrast creates a striking image of a woman who defies traditional feminine roles.
"Madonna" refers to the Virgin Mary, evoking themes of holiness and maternal care.
"Avenging angel" references biblical figures who deliver divine punishment, associating the character with justice, vengeance, and power.
Comparative Structure: This grammatical contrast shifts the focus from one identity (Madonna) to another (avenging angel), emphasizing transformation or subversion.
Flipping the Damsel-in-Distress Trope.
This quote suggests vigilante-style retribution, where justice is delivered outside the law, blurring traditional moral boundaries.

Crime fiction often challenges stereotypes, and this quote rejects the idea of a passive, nurturing woman (Madonna) in favor of a powerful, vengeful figure. This quotation is essential in highlighting Joanna's growth and empowerment, she is no longer the scared girl but now the 'avenging angel' who delivers retribution for the weak. Subversion of the classical

"Her real life had been left behind in that other, golden, field. And then she had the baby and her love for him breathed life into the simulacrum and it became genuine."

Symbolises her past son of her life before the change of event.
Contrasts earlier lost with renewal.
Turning something that was previously disconnected or incomplete into something genuine and profound.

"Her love for the baby was immense, bigger than the entire universe. Fierce."

Joanna's love is portrayed as something that fuels that action and suggests strength.
Demonstrates an unbreakable devotion that would go to great lengths to protect what she loves. Hyperbole to magnify the intensity of Joanna's feelings.
Metaphore: comparison of love to "the entire universe"

Juxtaposion of tenderness and strength.
Characterisation through emotions. Love as a force of protection and destruction.
Unpredictability
Conflict
Moral ambiguity. Feminist perspective of a maternal instinct. Deeply felt connection to the experience of protecting and loving a child.

She had fought to the death protecting her young"

"her bloody head being mopped by her own ten-year-old daughter with handfuls of Unicorn Magic napkins"

"A mother and her children, wasn't that the bond at the heart of everything?
"

"Her real life had been left behind in that other, golden, field. And then she had the baby and her love for him breathed life into the simulacrum and it became genuine."

Contrasts earlier lost with renewal.
Symbolism of "gold field" Atkinson evokes a sense of nostalgia.
Contrast and juxtaposing of the past and present.
Tone reflects a complex emotional state. Characters are often shped by their past.
Psycological depth
Suspense
Rebirth and redemption
Motherhood as a central theme for change.
"simulacrum" in the passage refers to a life that feels disconnected, societal expectations placed on women

"Jackson was a shepherd, he couldn't rest until the flock was accounted for, all gathered safely in. It was his calling and his curse. Protect and serve."

The metaphor of the shepherd: guide and protect , Jackson's role as a protector,
"flock" symbolic, victims, vulnerable people,
Juxtaposition: "calling" and "curse" highlights in inner conflict of Jackson's character.
a sense of duty that transcends professional obligations

"Love wasn't patient, love wasn't kind. Love was ferocious, love knew how to play dirty."

Allusion biblical twisting a well-known definition of love into something far darker.
Personification: making it an active force rather than a passive emotion
Parallelism: reinforcing the transformation of love from something idealistic to something aggressive.

"A coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen."

Personification -
Juxtaposition -
Present Tense -
Parallel Structure
Short, Declarative Sentence

"Jackson had never been one to say no, either to a goddess or a request for help"

Foreshadows helping Joanna cover her murders.
Jackson's inability to say no positions him as someone who might get entangled in dangerous situations, a common trope in the genre.
Crime novels often explore the grey areas of morality. Jackson's tendency to agree to requests, even from a "goddess" (a figure of authority or allure), suggests he might be manipulated or drawn into situations where right and wrong are not clear-cut.

“If they could find him, if they could put him away for the rest of his life then perhaps Alison Needler could start to live again.”

the metaphor of "start to live again" juxtopises freedom and imprisonment

“Joanna Hunter and Andrew Decker would belong to each other for evermore, their histories twisted and fused together.”

irreversable effects of crime, hauting connection , imagry of binding focibly combinded. metaphor archaiac language, future tense with would , psychological aftermath of crime.

And thirty years ago he'd slaughtered a family when according to his workmates he'd been 'an ordinary guy'.

random nature of crime. juxtoposition beteween banal descritiom adn bruatal act, confrot possibility of normally hinding brutality.

Jackson Brodie had cared about missing girls, he wanted them all found. Louise didn't want them to get lost in the first place

making accommodations, disappearing inside her own marriage, a little more every day. ”

“She wouldn't be in a safe house in Livingston, waiting for the big, bad wolf to come and blow it all away.”