The events in this novel take place between 1932 and 1972—a period of immense change not only for the characters but also for the world at large. While the book rarely addresses world events directly or in detail, they hover in the background, providing context for the characters’ development, choices, and struggles.

For example, the economic devastation of the Great Depression drives Adelaide to the desperate act of abandoning her children. The stock market crash of 1929 plunged the nation into a devastating depression and left families fractured, hungry, and in despair. Mary herself realizes, even as a child, that external forces beyond the family’s control lead to its demise. Besides the tragic loss of her father, “without the year 1929, [her] family would probably have gone on living comfortably in a lonely and isolated white house on the edge of Prairie Lake” (5). For a time, Adelaide steals to feed her children, but the birth of yet another mouth to feed propels her to leave them behind.

War is a constant threat throughout these decades, and every character’s life is in some way shaped by it. Russell Kashpaw, Celestine’s half-brother, is a decorated veteran, having served in World War II and in the Korean War, where he was “wounded in action” (69).