Chicago is symbolic of home and belonging. The Illinois city is the primary backdrop for the novel, as all of the primary characters live there whenever they’re not traveling for their jobs. The city therefore offers them a place to feel comfortable, granting them all a sense of community, familiarity, and acceptance. While each character has a distinct relationship with Chicago, the city connects the characters to one another amidst their otherwise challenging lives.

For Zanders, Chicago is synonymous with home because this is where the Maddisons live. He is therefore desperate “to stay in Chicago” (334) when he learns that his Raptors contract may not be renewed. He knows that he can find a new team, but he fears the prospect of leaving his home city and moving somewhere else where he would be alone. Chicago offers Zanders the home and family network that he didn’t have during his childhood, and he is therefore protective of his life in the city.

Stevie feels similarly about the city because her brother lives there, and she has deep connections to Senior Dogs of Chicago. When she and Zanders break up, she makes plans to leave Chicago to find a fresh start, but her reluctance to depart is clear when she wishes that she “could take everything that’s [her] life in Chicago” and “bring it with [her]” (390).