Home

Much of the novel takes place in Irene and Gil’s home in Minneapolis. The house is large, comfortable, and fairly suburban. Irene and Gil live with their three children: Florian, Riel, and Stoney. As the novel progresses, Erdrich positions the relative comfort of their home in distinct contrast to the turmoil that exists in Irene and Gil’s marriage. The home acts as a facade, one that conceals, obscures, and normalizes Gil’s abusive behavior. Importantly, Gil often argues that his financial success as an artist allowed the family to purchase the home; this affords him another power dynamic to exploit in his relationship with Irene.

Gil's Studio

In Shadow Tag, Gil spends much of his time in his home studio, where he paints numerous portraits of his wife. The studio—part of the home, yet distinctly separate—serves to symbolize the emotional distance between Gil and...