North Carolina

The novel takes place in an unnamed town in North Carolina. The protagonist faces much racial prejudice and discrimination because she is not white. She was born in the U.S. and is therefore a U.S. citizen, but many of her neighbors still believe she is an immigrant and is not a citizen. The protagonist grows up in North Carolina and lives there for almost her entire life. It is likely that the novel is autobiographical to some degree, as the author is also a North Carolina-born woman of Indian descent.

Home

Many of the novel’s brief scenes take place in the protagonist’s home in North Carolina. She resides there with her husband and their three daughters. However, the husband is often out of town on business trips, leaving the protagonist with all of the domestic and child-rearing responsibilities. The protagonist also often feels...