1995

At the beginning of the novel, the narration states that the main storyline takes place in the year 1995. As a result, the flashbacks to Lillian’s time at the boarding school take place in the early 1980s. These chronological setting have virtually no substantive bearing on the story, except for one possible way. Specifically, it eventually becomes apparent to the reader that Lillian has had romantic feelings for Madison ever since they first became friends. Madison implies that she has had similar feelings for Lillian, but that she never acted on them because it would likely have hurt her political ambitions. This aspect of the story may be read as an indictment of the destructive effects of societally ingrained homophobia.

Iron Mountain Girls Preparatory School

When Lillian was young, she lived in an impoverished neighborhood and attended underfunded public schools. However, she aspired to be a high achiever, and...