New York

New York is the overarching setting for all of the action in the novel, and the personality of the city is as important in the narrative as the personality of the characters. New York is depicted as a location where people go in order “to become someone else” and that is the process that Tess goes through during her first year in the city. Further to this, as a reflection of the main character, New York itself is presented as something that is in a constant state of change and flux, never certain or solid in its identity. Many characters look back on an earlier era in New York which – to them – is more authentic or real, but Tess comes to learn that authenticity is always of the moment and that her own world and experiences of New York are just as relevant as the experiences that...