What is the importance of New England in the novel, Who Is Rich?

The present-day action of the novel (several sections take place in the past, and in other locations) is set in a small New England town in America's north east. On one level, this is significant because the town is a so-called tourist town, one in which people make temporary homes there in much the same way as Rich and others do during the conference. On another level, the setting is significant because of the role it plays in the narrative's conclusion - as an active example of how day-to-day life goes on in the world, even while people like Rich (and Amy, and others) experience life-altering challenge and conflict.