How is the town of Stiles and Stokes described in the novel, The Painted Drum?

Stiles and Stokes is described as an extremely small, rural New England town in which most of the residents appear to know one another and in which grief and tragedy are shared among its inhabitants. Erdrich takes care to display the ways in which the lives of the town's residents are intertwined by the events that affect it. It is also described in naturalistic terms, with great attention being brought to the wildlife and flora in the area.