Long Island

The novel takes place in a small, unnamed town on Long Island at an isolated vacation house. Clay and Amanda encounter few other houses upon arrival; the nearest sign of life is an unmanned egg stand where passersby can purchase eggs and leave money. In Chapter 6, the family visits a nearby beach where they come across a memorial for TWA Flight 800—a symbol of the danger that is at hand for these characters. At the end of the novel, G.H. reflects on the fact that most people who live in the town are working class and "suspicious, resentful of and beholden to the rich, the outsiders” (216). This could generally be said of many communities where wealthy people purchase vacation homes. It is described as a relatively common town: "There was a gas station, there was a public library, there was a junk shop and an ice...