How does Alexander view his childhood in Berkeley in the novel, A Gambler’s Anatomy?

Alexander Bruno flived in Berkeley, California as a young boy, when his mother moved them there to live in a commune. Berkeley represents everything about Bruno’s past that he dislikes. It reminds him of his childhood with his irresponsible mother, and it is filled with garish commercial buildings that clash directly with Bruno’s own preferred aesthetic of subtlety and refinement. When he returns to Berkeley 30 years after leaving, Keith Stolarsky owns many properties in Berkeley, and the city represents a domain where Stolarsky is in control, both of Bruno and many of Berkeley’s other denizens.