Estrella

The town of Estrella is the setting for the entirety of the novel. It is a small town in an unnamed Spanish-speaking country. Simón, Inés, and Davíd arrive in Estrella at the beginning of the novel. There, the adults look for work for themselves and schooling for Davíd. These characters have come to Estrella after fleeing the town of Novilla, and both of these towns are located in the same unnamed country to which these characters have recently immigrated. These characters do not speak of their previous lives, and they have each assumed new names since coming to this new country. Estrella is a small town, but it seems to have a robust economy, encompassing farmland, shops, several schools, and an art museum. Davíd attends school in Estrella while Simón and Inés work in town.

Novilla

Although the characters never spend...