Where It All Goes Down
Boston and Darlington
John's dad lives in Boston, his mom lives in Darlington, and we've got a bit to say about these two locations on a symbolic level over in the… drum roll, please… "Symbols" section. So if you don't mind, please hop on over there to dig deeper into these two locations.
We'd like to add, though, that everything about this setting comes from the real world we live in. And because of this, the hard work John does to become a more open person is pretty relatable to readers. Chances are more than decent that you or someone you know has navigated a messy parental divorce or struggled with trusting other people, and with such a real setting, it's easy to identify with these threads as the story moves along.