What is the main setting of the short-stories contained in the collection, How to Pronounce Knife?

The stories in How to Pronounce Knife seem to be set in either the United States or Canada, but the exact location is never specified. Author Souvankham Thammavongsa was born in a Lao refugee camp in Thailand and immigrated to Canada with her family as a baby, so she may have based some of the stories on her own life or the lives of people she knows. The country the stories take place in is usually referenced in order to be contrasted with Laos, where many of the characters are from originally. In "Randy Travis," the narrator's mother develops an interest in American country music and attends Catholic church with her neighbors, even though she is Buddhist. In "The School Bus Driver," Jai's wife tries to convince him that her relationship with her boss is normal, stating, "Jay. People form this kind of friendship in this country" (114). Jai is bothered by his wife's assimilation, her obviously inappropriate relationship with another man, and the fact that she has Anglicized his name. There are also numerous references throughout the collection to the fact that white citizens of the country are privileged and elevated above their Lao peers, such as in "Picking Worms," when the narrator's 14-year-old classmate is promoted over her mother.