New York

The novel is set in an undisclosed town in upstate New York. This is where the narrator lives with her husband John. This is also where the university is located. The narrator and her husband relocated to this area of New York after leaving the city.

At the end of the novel, the narrator and her husband buy an apartment in New York City with the settlement money from the fire. They retain their house upstate. However, whenever they are in New York City, they are able to spend time with Sidney, Alexis, and their new grandson.

University

Much of the novel is set at the university where the narrator and her husband John work. The university is never given a name. It is located in the upstate New York town where the narrator and John have resided for many years.

Both the narrator and John have...