The Country

The novel takes place in an unnamed country. The narrative describes it as a developing country that has suffered from decades of civil war between the central government and various rebel factions. The war has supposedly recently ended, as the government has apparently reached a peace agreement with the rebels. As Four observes during his work, much of the country is poor and rural, although its capital city is more urban. At the end of the novel, the government launches a surprise military attack. The government’s peace offering was apparently just a ruse to make the rebels let down their guard.

The Road

Four and Nine’s assignment is to pave a road to the capital city. Four operates a high-tech paving vehicle, while Nine shirks his responsibilities and spends most of his time with locals. Four and Nine are told that they must finish the...