Mexico City, 1990s

The bulk of the novel takes place in Mexico City in the 1990s, past the point when the filmmaking industry has mostly disappeared in the area. The setting is significant because the novel is interested in the relationship between local filmmaking and the ravages of colonialism and globalism; many of the creative opportunities in México have been farmed out to American studios over the course of the twentieth century, and the result is a wealth of film history that has been forgotten and fallen mostly into disuse. Furthermore, the setting offers important groundwork for the novel's exploration of gender, pointing to the difficult situation that Montserrat faces as a woman living, ostensibly, post-liberation; although she has equal rights under the law, many of the patriarchal structures of eras past continue to exist, particularly in the creative industry, and she is routinely discriminated against by her...