Vacca Vale

Vacca Vale is the Indiana town where the novel is set. In the narrative present, Vacca Vale is economically depressed. When the Zorn Automobiles factory was in operation, the town thrived. However, after the business went bankrupt, the town discovered Zorn was responsible for contaminating the groundwater with toxic spills. The town also has high unemployment and crime rates. In order to revitalize the town, the municipal powers plan to build new infrastructures and businesses.

Characters including Blandine, James, Joan, Jack, Todd, and Malik in Vacca Vale. The majority of them have a fraught relationship with the town, and perceive it as the source of their entrapment. However, the town also connects them one to another.

The Rabbit Hutch

The Rabbit Hutch is the apartment building where Blandine lives. She moves into the Rabbit Hutch's C4 unit with Jack, Todd, and Malik after they finish their Independence...