The Early 1990's

The novel is set in the early 1990's - specifically, and as the narrative suggests, around the time of the so-called Gulf War, in which the United States engaged in military conflict in the Middle East. It was a time of economic, political, and cultural uncertainty, a subtly developed backdrop for the uncertainties that Kiran faces as he comes of age over the course of the story.

Cincinnati, Ohio

This large city in the Midwestern United States is the novel's broad-strokes setting. The city itself, its attitudes or culture or economics, tend to not play a significant role in the action: it is, however, a long-established, primarily white American city of the sort in which immigrants like Kiran and his family can become, or at least feel, isolated and/or discriminated against.

Kiran's School

The school that Kiran attends plays a key role both in what...