Chicago

The novel is primarily set in Chicago, where Millie lives and works. There is not a great deal of description of the city, though the author does capture the hustle and bustle of urban life in the early scene in which Millie rides the subway and becomes irate that there is nowhere to stand and hold on because a woman is taking up an entire pole for herself. In the scene in which Millie finds out she has been fired from Lisa Hopper, she stands near Kinzie Bridge, which runs over the Chicago River.

Lisa Hopper

Lisa Hopper is the interior design firm where Millie works as a temporary receptionist in the first half of the novel. From her desk, Millie observes the behavior and the dull conversations of her co-workers, which the author includes as commentary on the banality of office work in general. The office has...