In what time period is the novel, Where the Dead Sit Talking, set?

The narrative is set in the late 1980's, a period in which the internet, cell phones, and social media were not part of the culture of society as a whole and, most significantly, not part of the society of young people like Sequoyah, Rosemary, and George. This lack of electronic and technological ability to communicate intensifies the sense of isolation and separateness that the three foster children feel from their families, lives, and identities. The late 1980's were also a period in which the rights and well-being were not as much of a cultural, social, or political priority as they are in more contemporary circumstances and time frames.