Maine

Maine is one of the novel's primary settings. When Joe is a child, he and his family spend every summer picking blueberries in Northern Maine. They travel down from their home in Nova Scotia to stay in a cabin on the landowner Mr. Ellis's property. Although these summers are defined by hard work, heat, and blackflies, Joe and his siblings enjoy their time here.

The family's relationship with Maine changes when Ruthie disappears from the berry fields during the summer of 1962. Although Joe is logically blameless for what happens to Ruthie, he feels guilty because he is the last one to see her before she goes missing.

Then, after Joe's older brother Charlie is killed at a local carnival a few summers later, the family stops returning to Maine altogether. The setting becomes a container for and a reminder of the family's tragedies.

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is...