Spokane, Washington

The novel is set in the city of Spokane, Washington. Notably, Spokane is the hometown of the novel’s author, Jess Walter. The main narrative takes place in the years 1909 and 1910, and the novel portrays Spokane at that time with a fairly high degree of historical detail and accuracy. Specifically, Spokane was essentially a hybrid of a modern metropolis and a frontier town. Its economy was based heavily on industry such as mining and shipping. Rye and Gig arrive in Spokane in 1909, during a time of increased tension between the unions and the combined forces of corporatists and the police. The novel—as well as Rye and Gig’s storylines—become defined by these tensions.

Taft, Montana

In a pivotal scene in the novel, Flynn visits a mining settlement in Montana called Taft. Flynn goes there to raise money for the Spokane union’s legal defense. Unbeknownst...