Why do you think the author chose to use Delaware as the setting for this novel? Would another location have made for a more impactful novel? Could the setting have been anywhere?

Wilmington is the largest city in Delaware, and is where the Rivera family moves into the Redwood Apartment building after leaving Mexico. It is a bustling American city with many places to eat, shop, and enjoy life. Fito explains the layout of the city of Wilmington to Alma early on in the novel. Main Street is where the university students live. Hockessin is where the gringos live. Downtown Wilmington is where the blacks live. Greenville is where the rich white people live. Elsmere and Newport are for the lower classes. And Capitol Oaks is a run-down neighborhood for troublemakers.