The narrative of The View from Saturday moves rapidly among several different settings, each in its own way providing clues to the inner lives of the characters. Nadia's stay with her father in Florida, for example, involves a project to save endangered sea turtles that are most vulnerable to human interference and predators on the beaches where they originally hatched and where they return to lay their eggs. Nadia, a reluctant participant in the turtle project, nonetheless sees parallels between her experiences and the life cycle of the turtles, including absent parents, a long journey to adulthood, and the possibility of losing one's way without help. Her experiences in Florida are then tied to The Souls and Mrs. Olinski, with Mrs. Olinski eventually realizing that she and her students have all been on journeys, each to find meaning in his or her life.

The handling of physical settings...