Palo Alto, California

Palo Alto a city in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, provides the main setting for the novel. In the past decade, the economic landscape of Palo Alto has shifted as is has become the location for many large technology companies. The presence of these companies has raised the cost of living in the area, thus forcing many lower-income residents to relocate. This provides the geographical and economic backdrop of the novel. Veblen and her fiancé Paul live in Palo Alto, although they maintain separate residences until their wedding. Veblen, as an employee of a temp agency, represents Palo Alto’s lower income residents, while Paul, a neurologist and inventor, represents Pal Alto’s wealthier residents. Palo Alto was also once the residence of economist and proponent of anti-consumerism, Thorstein Veblen, after whom Veblen is named.

San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California is a highly...