What is the importance of New York City in the novel, Whistle Me Home?

Though three hours away from Long Island by bus, New York City is an important setting in the novel. The city represents TJ's past—and his past problems—and it is also a source of nightmares for Noli. In a recurrent dream, Noli finds herself alone on the busy streets of Manhattan, without her wallet or keys, and without any memory of her home phone number. She begs passersby for assistance, but no one will help her find her way back home. Noli's dream gives the reader a sense of foreboding about the city, so it is not surprising that a later scene in the novel, in which the two lead characters visit New York on New Year's Day, builds on that sense of inevitable danger. The fun of seeing the Christmas tree and ice skaters at Rockefeller Center and visiting a movie revival house in Greenwich Village soon turns into an uncomfort able situation and a quiet return home from the city.