Kentucky

Kentucky is the overarching setting for the entirety of the novel. This is the state where Owen grew up. A few weeks prior to the narrative present, Owen moves back to Kentucky after his life falls apart in Colorado. Because he has no interest in living with either of his divorced parents or his stepparents, he decides to move in with his grandfather and his uncle.

Although Owen is intimate with Kentucky, he has a fraught relationship with the place. The state is a proverbial container for Owen's past life and thus his past self. Throughout the novel, he lives in a constant state of angst, much of which he blames on his Kentucky surroundings. He disdains the culture and many of its people. At the same time, he feels attached to the landscapes and the environment. Over the course of the narrative, Owen attempts to reconcile his...