K. L. Walther sets her novel in the real-world setting of Martha’s Vineyard, an island off the coast of Massachusetts, and incorporates several of its most famous landmarks into its plot and themes, imbuing the story with a sense of history that underscores the experiences of three generations of the Lupo family—Annie, Erica, and Olivia. The Flying Horses Carousel in Oak Bluffs, where Olivia takes her siblings, is the oldest operating platform carousel in the United States. Designed by American wood carver Charles W. F. Dare, the Flying Horses Carousel “[o]riginally operated as an attraction on Coney Island, [before] it was moved to Oak Bluffs in 1884 […] [I]ts hand-carved wooden horses [have] manes and tails of real horsehair and inset glass eyes” (“Flying Horses Carousel.” Vineyard Preservation Trust). The National Historic Landmark is famous for its ring game, where riders try to grab a single brass ring to win a free ride—a challenge that Olivia’s sister Maisie enthusiastically accepts.

The bridge that Walther refers to as the Jaws Bridge takes its name from its appearance in the 1975 film Jaws, which was filmed on the island. During the six-month shoot on Martha’s Vineyard, “[i]slanders shaped the production both behind-the-scenes and in front of the camera—they wrangled boats, built sets, and acted as extras and supporting cast members” (“Jaws: Creating Amity Island.” MV Museum, 24 Mar. 2024). Jumping from the bridge is a popular, albeit officially prohibited, summer rite of passage for tourists and locals, a carefree tradition that Olivia and Connor embrace together.

Olivia’s project to uncover Annie’s secret past on Martha’s Vineyard is catalyzed by her discovery of a watercolor painting of the Aquinnah Cliffs, formerly known as Gay Head Cliffs. These dramatic, multicolored clay bluffs are a protected natural landmark and a sacred site for the Wampanoag Nation, whose ancestors “have lived for at least 10,000 years at Aquinnah (Gay Head) and throughout the island of Noepe (Martha’s Vineyard), pursuing a traditional economy based on fishing and agriculture” (“Wampanoag History.” Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head [Aquinnah]). By weaving these specific, tangible locations into Olivia’s quest to understand her grandmother’s past, Walther connects that search to the island’s geography and culture, giving each landmark a narrative function.