Do Some Damage discussion

Chris, Funny you mention setting. I just finished the book today and had to blog at DSD for Monday -- and it HAD to be about setting.

What I think is key here is that PIKE makes his own setting. Even in Mexico, it seems, he exists in the same world.

I'll put this out there, I don't think PIKE would have been the same novel if it was located in Colorado, or Washington, or Texas. Race and class are two very prominent themes through out the novel and I think Pike's personality was very much shaped by his surroundings and by the culture of southern Ohio

I think that if you took the "thing" from the landscape -- the isolation, destruction, whatever -- you could find that elsewhere. Yeah, the characters would be different, but I'm not sure they'd be completely different, you know? South Dakota? Southwest Arkansas? Eastern Colorado?

My family on my Dad's side come from this part of KY and OH. While I've been there many times, I can't say has a uniqueness to it. The story at it's core could be told in other mid-sized cities, like Pittsburgh, Detroit or Kansas City. Cities that were once prosperous mill and factory towns and have rural outlying areas.

I think it's the characters that give you the feel of the landscape.