A contemporary urban landscape functions as the backdrop of Driver's Ed. School, home, and church are alternated throughout the novel. The homes that driver's education classmates Remy Marland and Morgan Campbell come from define their families' socioeconomic presence in the community. Remy's blue-collar family lives in a small ranch with a small kitchen containing old, "gold," mismatched appliances. Clutter makes this kitchen homey; the refrigerator is decorated with school pictures and accomplishments of Remy and her scummy but "lovable" kid brother Mac. Morgan's professional parents, two lawyers with one aspiring to become governor, live in an upscale, luxurious home with a spacious (but seldom used for cooking) kitchen gleaming with stainless steel appliances. Everyone has his own phone line and private space, including Morgan's bratty, middleschool sister, Starr. Both families attend the same church, from which they eventually draw spiritual and moral direction in responding to their older...