The first-person narrator of the story is Azaro, a pre-adolescent boy. What impact does this first-person narration have on the novel? How might the novel change if it were narrated by Mum or Dad, or Madame Koto?

How does Dad’s drinking affect him as a character? How does it affect his family? What gives him a reason (or excuse) to drink? How would Dad’s character and demeanor most accurately be described?

Explicate the various incarnations of Madame Koto. Is she a help or a hindrance to Azaro and his family? Does her affiliation with politics bring her positive results? What does she symbolize in her various roles, from benefactor to power broker?