Esmeralda's life drew its inspiration from three separate physical arenas: Puerto Rican Brooklyn, Puerto Rico, and the white world of Manhattan: "That world in Brooklyn from which I derived both comfort and anxiety was home, as was the other world, across the ocean, where my father still wrote poems. As was the other world, the one across the river, where I intended to make my life." The action centers mainly in Brooklyn for the first part of the book and moves to Manhattan for the second part.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of Santiago's portrayal of Puerto Rican Brooklyn is the ever-present food. Through the author's frequent and vivid food descriptions, the importance of food in Puerto Rican and Puerto Rican-American culture becomes apparent, as does the major role that food plays in Puerto Rican family life.

Every time a relative comes to visit, Mami and her mother...