The city

The city is the main setting for most of the stories in the collection. The city is never named, but is based in Japan. The city has urban, suburban, and rural areas, and is host to the vacant lot, the highway, and the hospital. The city also plays host to the Museum of Torture, as well as the massive stone mansion of its owners. The city’s police force is overworked, struggling to keep up with the spate of crimes that have recently popped up, including the murders in “Old Mrs. J.”, “Lab Coats”, and “Sewing for the Heart”. The lives of the residents of the city themselves are all interconnected, with the events of each story ultimately affecting all the other stories in some way, shape, or form.

The vacant lot

The vacant lot is an overgrown, animal-infested plot located in a more industrial and run-down...