East Oakland

The majority of the novel takes place in East Oakland, where Kiara, Marcus, Trevor, and Alé live. This is a part of Oakland where the majority of the population is Black or Latinx. At the beginning of the novel, Kiara receives a rent increase notice from her landlord, Vernon, who has sold the building. This is the plot's inciting incident and a reference to gentrification — the process whereby usually wealthy individuals purchase property in a low-income neighborhood, renovate, and then raise housing costs substantially so that they are no longer affordable to those already living there. Alé alludes to the poverty prevalent in East Oakland in Chapter 2 when she comments on the fact that the neighborhood is full of potholes, whereas in wealthier neighborhoods, potholes are fixed quickly because the local government is willing to invest the funds to do this.

Kiara, Marcus, and Trevor live in...