How does Tea Obreht use imagery in The Tiger's Wife: A Novel?

The imagery is very much reflective of the setting. While it's important to note that the land in question is never specifically identified, there are very clear indications that the story, in all time periods, is set in the area of Eastern Europe known as The Balkans - the former Yugoslavia, the former Czechoslovakia. These indications include character names and place names as well as certain traditions and beliefs. The most important such indication, however, is in the frequent references to the real-life, years-long war that took place in that part of the world.