Whale Talk takes place in three important settings. The primary setting is Cutter High School in Spokane, Washington. Crutcher vividly recreates the locker-lined hallways and gyms where adolescents struggle to establish an identity and often feel threatened by those who are different. Cutter High is dominated by those who wear the letter jacket, a sacred symbol of elitism. It is against a backdrop of "zero intolerance" and prejudice that T. J. and his fellow swimmers struggle to find a sense of belonging and develop a positive sense of self. Even more important than the swim team's quest to earn a letter jacket is their need to show that they each deserve respect and dignity.

The All Night Gym, where the newly formed Cutter swim team practices daily, becomes the team's private retreat. It is in the deserted gym that T. J. discovers Oliver Van Zandt, a kind, generous...