Where It All Goes Down
Anywhere, USA
Please Ignore Vera Dietz takes place in your typical American town, albeit one with a high poverty rate and a real divide between the rich and the poor. It's pretty rough:
It's true. 47% of children in this town live below the poverty level. Many of then are hungry right now, while you're reading this. Some of them would be happy to eat one tin of that dog food you slop out twice a day. (4.10.1)
The town is home to the usual attractions: a strip mall, divisions between the "good" and "bad" parts of town, and a bunch of bored teenagers. It could be anywhere in America, and that's the point: The story of what happens to Vera Dietz and Charlie Kahn isn't all that special, and instead it could happen to any teenager from anywhere.
The Pagoda
The pagoda is the main visual attraction in the town. It's a big, glowing red pagoda on top of a hill that watches over the whole town:
I drive back the long way, over the mountain on the dangerous S curves, toward the enormous, glowing, gaudy pagoda that watches over our town. Most people think the pagoda is a cute tourist attraction and a quirky addition to our otherwise boring little nowhere city. I think it's a monstrosity. (1.5.16)
When the pagoda was made, it was supposed to draw tourists and serve as a fancy destination for people, but that's not how it turned out. Instead, the pagoda ended up as a place where kids go to smoke, drink, and make out. Not exactly the shining beacon that the town thought it was going to be. For more on the Pagoda, though, hop on over to the "Characters" and "Symbols" sections, since it's featured in both.
The Tree House
Even though a tree house may not seem like an important space, Charlie and Vera love and care about their special place together:
From the finished tree house, we could see both our houses and the road. Charlie kept a pair of binoculars by the west window, next to his bed. He started to sleep out there, and had screened in the windows and made shutters for when it rained. (1.18.1)
In fact, the tree house serves as an escape for Charlie. He uses it to escape from his difficult family life and to try and forge his own identity. There's eventually trouble in paradise, though, so be sure to check out what else we have to say about this sweet spot in the "Symbols" section.