Until Friday Night

The novel’s setting influences the main characters’ relationships with one another. Set in Lawton, Alabama, Until Friday Night explores the ways in which family and community influence an individual’s personal growth. For characters like West Ashby and Brady Higgens, Lawton has always been home. Because they’ve grown up in Lawton, the place has given them belonging, comfort, and support. Their community is tight-knit, and thus reliable. Their parents and football teammates particularly define their social spheres.

Southern small town life in Lawton also influences Maggie Carlton’s character. When she first arrives in Lawton, she doesn’t see the place as her home. This is in part because of her unfamiliarity with the town and in part because of the close-knit nature of its community—regardless of any positive intentions, it isn’t necessarily easy to break into a strong, small-town dynamic. She struggles to fit in because she doesn’t speak and doesn’t know how to relate to others. However, over time, Maggie discovers that her peers, friends, family, and community members want to help and support her. The Lawton culture reflects proverbial Southern charm and hospitality. Because everyone knows everyone else, the Lawton families are integrally involved in one another’s lives. They have histories together that sustain their relationships in the narrative present. These relationships inspire them to make food for each other, house one another’s children, or attend hospital visits and funeral services when necessary. Once Maggie recognizes the culture of her new environment, she becomes more open to living in Lawton. This cultural backdrop also furthers the novel’s explorations concerning communication, coping mechanisms, and complex relationships. Without their small town community, characters like Maggie and West may be more alone. In Lawton, they have a consistent safety net: a group of people ready to come to their aid and bolster them through difficult times.