The United States

The United States of America, with its so called "American Dream" (of the individual's right to success) is the broad-strokes, overall setting for the story. There are references early on to that American Dream, with both it and the associated belief of American superiority (that is: the right to exploit and control) playing key roles in the development of Perina's character and perspectives.

The Mid-twnentieth Century

The novel is set in the mid-twentieth century - specifically, the nearly three decades spanning the early 1950's through the early 1980's. It was a period in which scientific experimentation in some ways flourished (i.e. in the aftermath of the role science played in the end of World War II) and in some ways stagnated. As Perina himself writes, research was generally conducted to prove, and reinforce, current discoveries, rather than make new ones. It was also a period...