2016-2020 America

Although the novel spans a range of locations, the most significant setting is the period of American history spanning the presidency of Donald Trump, the occurrence of which is one of O'Brien's central interests throughout America Fantastica. Indeed, given the novel's fascination with the "post-truth" brand of American politics inaugurated by this moment in history, it is fitting that the novel takes place during and is concerned with the political attitudes of this point in time. The fact that the novel takes place in so many diverse regions of America is also emblematic of the pervasive qualities of this "post-truth" moment.

Fulda, CA

The small, rural town of Fulda, CA is an important setting throughout the novel not only because it is the place that most of the novel's characters call home but also because it is a useful container for the various attitudes of the American...