A strong sense of place and narrative style help intertwine the elements of plot. The use of a small town as setting is crucial to the background tension in the story. In a city or even a larger town, no one would care if Augusta's air conditioning worked or if she carried on affairs with married men, but in New Franklin keeping both your secrets and your reputation become more important, and even Karen falls under the spell of secrecy. When she and George kiss on the porch, she becomes paranoid that they are being watched, and when she takes George up to her room, she insists he not kiss her in front of the window. In some sense the atmosphere around New Franklin stifles; everyone knows everyone else and discusses the neighbors.

George tells Karen while they are at the pool, "all they ever talk...