Hartford, Connecticut, 1980s

This is the primary setting of the novel. It's the new American home for the Encarnacion family after they leave Cuba. The cold climate initially stifles Soledad's sexuality and heightens Isabel's draw to death and Catholic mysticism. The climate is a stark contradiction to their former Cuba home, reflecting the geographical and emotional distance between the two places. The dominant language spoken here is English, and Soledad insists the family speak the language of their new home with the people they meet there in another effort to maintain distance from their former home.

Buey Arriba, Cuba, 1980s and '90s

The myth and the reality of this setting alternate throughout the novel, but it is always present through memory and symbolism. As a memory, it is compared to "paradise," manifesting through botanical imagery of tomato vines. As a reality, it lacks the opportunities of America and...