New York

Mickey lives in New York City. She and her girlfriend Lex reside in an apartment together in Astoria, a neighborhood in the Queens borough. Although they have been together for some time, they have only moved in together more recently. This is because Lex's mother Elda convinced Lex to back out of the arrangement more than once.

At the start of the novel, the couple has created a life and a family together in their Astoria apartment. Mickey is working at Wave, and Lex works for a company called Something Else. For a time, this life has felt stable and comfortable for Mickey. However, as soon as she is fired from Wave, she feels desperate to leave the city. She ultimately departs Astoria for her hometown in Maryland when her relationship with Lex becomes too tenuous to navigate.

Mickey returns to New York at the end of...