Tooley Farm, OK

The bulk of the novel takes place at a FEMA shelter built on the old Tooley Farm in the middle of eastern Oklahoma. Tooley Farm plays a significant role in the shaping of the plot both because of its ad hoc structure and its geographic location. That Tooley Farm is effectively a tent city allows various individuals (such as Tate, Jessamyn, Chester, and the corrupt members of the National Guard) to take advantage of its relative lawlessness in order to pursue their own ends, a feature of the camp that allows the novel to explore themes on race and substance abuse, particularly in the impermanent communities that arise in the wake of significant disasters. The geography, meanwhile, plays a crucial role in the climax of the novel, which centers around an oncoming storm that populates several tornadoes, a weather event common to the region of Oklahoma...