Staten Island

The majority of What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is set in Staten Island New York. At the outset of the narrative, Nina returns to her hometown for the first time since leaving for college. Her sister Jessica has never left the New York borough and has spent the last years taking care of their mother, attending community college, and raising her daughter in their childhood neighborhood. When Jessica and Nina watch Catfight, Jessica is convinced that Ruby is Ruthy because she references Staten island with accurate detail, despite claiming that she is from Brooklyn.

Boston

Toward the close of What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez, Jessica, Dolores, Nina, and Irene drive to Boston where Catfight is filmed. When they arrive, they sit in the car outside of the hotel waiting for the TV show contestants to emerge. When they do not see Ruby, Dolores and Irene convince the...