The story is set in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, fifteen miles south of Portland, Oregon. The nearest village is three miles away, so the family feels safe and secure in their own little world. No specific dates appear in the novel, but its setting is contemporary, and, judging from references to the Internet, the majority of the action takes place in the 1990s. In order for the plot to be successful, the four McNair children, Kevin, Amy, Elizabeth, and Brian, must live in an isolated area. Elizabeth, the narrator, says of their new house, "Our house was on a blacktop road that wound around the hills and, while there were neighbors, we met no one for more than two weeks." Their isolation allows them to act without being observed or disturbed. Thus they can conceal the accidental death and burial of their halfmad mother for several years until...