Conscious Life Expo
After attending the Conscious Life Expo, Merlan describes the scene:
"Leaving the lecture, I stop in front of two beautiful women standing behind a table heaped with different kinds of gemstones promising to cure everything from anemia to depression to gout. A guy with full-sleeve tattoos offers me Starfire Water, a mere $6 for a bottle and capable of curing PTSD, he promises."
With the use of imagery, Merlan effectively sets the scene for the reader. He presents this convention as being a bizarre world where people are much more open to unconventional ideas and products.
Los Angeles Airport Hilton
Merlan describes the setting of Conscious life, saying that it is held "in the sterile marbled halls of the Los Angeles Airport Hilton, a chilly white expanse that feels a lot like spending the weekend in a large, spotless, flower-decked restroom." This use of imagery makes the space feel vast and empty, giving the setting a cold and clinical impression.
Los Angeles
Merlan opens the book by setting the scene, describing a winter day in Los Angeles: "The palm trees bristling above the Walgreens and the tire shops, the golden light washing insistently." The sunniness of this scene contrasts greatly with the "vast, windowless ballroom," where she is attending a talk about secret pedophiles in the American government.
