Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, where Yale and his friends live, is another major setting in the novel. Chicago is a large city with a proportionately large LGBTQ community. However, as the AIDS crisis escalates, Yale and his friends frequently seek consolation in the fact that Chicago is not as affected a city as either San Francisco or New York City.

Northwestern University

Northwestern University, where Yale works, is one of the central settings of this novel. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. Though campus life is not shown in the novel, Yale and Cecily both work there. Yale’s office is relatively gay-friendly, given that his boss and intern are both closeted gay men. However, the atmosphere there is also somewhat incestuous, given the eventual realization that Yale’s boss, Bill, and his intern, Roman, were sleeping together.

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan, which borders both Northwestern...