Anneville

Anneville is the town in which May lives. Although large portions of the novel are set in this location, May never indicates in which state Anneville is located.

May grew up in Anneville with her mother, father, and brother. Some time after creating a life for herself in New York City, May moved back to her hometown. She did so in order to help her ailing mother and to support her father. After her mother died, however, May did not move back to the city. Instead, she chose to remain in this town, despite its inability to provide her with a more stable or desirable future.

May and Earl's home is located in Anneville's Duck Woods neighborhood. The neighborhood is surrounded on three sides by a road, a railroad, and a river. Although Duck Woods is an intimate community, for the majority of the novel, May resists connecting...