Upstate New York

Much of the action in both the novel's narrative lines takes place in Upstate New York. This is where Ansel Packer, his victims, and those affected by his killings all live and make their homes. A key point to note is the rural quality of this aspect of setting, with degrees of isolation associated with that rural-ness playing important roles in defining the psycho-emotional lives and perspectives of the characters.

Ansel’s Prisons

The present-day action of the Ansel Packer narrative line takes place primarily in two prisons - the first where he has been awaiting execution, the second where that execution is to take place. There is an important sense of occasionally interrupted isolation about these settings that simultaneously reinforce and shape the same sense of occasionally interrupted isolation that seems to exist within Packer's mind and identity.

Texas

The state of Texas is the...