David Szalay sets István’s adolescence in the early 1990s, during Hungary’s turbulent transition from communism to a market-based economy. Following the end of the Cold War in 1989, Hungary, like much of Eastern Europe, experienced a period of social and economic upheaval. The country’s initial optimism for Western-style capitalism was soon tempered by the harsh realities of “shock therapy” economics, in which post-communist countries like Hungary, Slovenia, Poland, and the Czech Republic adopted rapid liberalization. These swift changes led to the collapse of state-owned industries and caused widespread joblessness, increasing economic inequality. 

As unemployment in Hungary surged in the early 1990s, this economic depression created a landscape of limited opportunity, particularly for young people like István. The novel reflects this environment through the appearance of a “new Western-style shopping mall” (1) and the availability of pirated Western music, both of which signal new cultural aspirations that clash with the country’s grim economic reality at the time. After leaving a young offenders’ institution, István struggles to find “legitimate work” because it is “a time of economic depression and there aren’t many jobs available” (39). This scarcity of options makes the military an appealing career path for him and his friends, who see it simply as “a job” (41). This historical context is essential for understanding István’s initial feelings of powerlessness and the forces that propel him toward a life defined by violence.