Iowa City, Iowa

The story's opening story is set in Iowa City, Iowa. The story's protagonist and narrator, Nam, has emigrated to the city from Australia in order to study fiction at the prestigious Iowa Writer's Workshop. For most of the story, the setting only comes into focus during the walks that Nam takes with his father, who is visiting from Australia. It is late in the year, and the Midwestern college town offers a bleak and melancholic landscape that matches Nam's emotional state. The story's final climactic scene takes place near a river, which Nam imagines freezing over.

Medellín, Colombia

In "Cartegena," Juan and his mother live outside the city of Medellín. The story takes place in the city and in nearby slums, which Juan refers to as 'tigurios.' Overtaken by corrupt government militias and gangs, Medellín is presented as a brutal city in...