Comment on structure

The author organizes God of Mercy into a prologue, three parts, and an epilogue. The prologue introduces the reader to the narrative world, its setting, inhabitants, and customs: “Nobody in Ichulu cared for the erosion. Its tired old and its tired young were rebuilding the village indifferently. Its surviving cassava leaves were drinking their share of light, with folded, wrinkled chaff corrupting the cassava’s green. All in Ichulu, every person, every household, ignored the honored eagles soaring over them” (1). In these early passages, the author maintains a neutral stance as she guides the reader into the world and culture of Ichulu. The prologue also introduces the reader to Ichulu’s belief system, its gods, ancestors, and history, dynamics which all background the narrative’s central conflicts.