This novel is set originally in 1958 New Hampshire at an all-boys military academy called the Devon school.  In the first few pages, however, the author transitions from the set time to World War II, namely the years 1941-43.  The author does so by creating a flashback by the narrator and main character, Gene, through which the rest of the story is told until the last few pages of the novel.  Throughout this text, the setting varies slightly between New England states, but is mostly centered on the Devon school itself and the town surrounding it.  The school and surrounding grounds include fields for sports such as lacrosse, soccer, and football, as well as tennis courts, wooded areas, and several thin lakes and rivers.  One outstanding characteristic of the school’s setting, though, is a very large, very old tree.  This tree is found overhanging the Devon River and plays an integral part of the emotional and dramatic settings of the novel.  I definitely think that this could happen today.  I’m sure there are countless numbers of uppity, prep. schools founded on arrogance that just happen to be inhabited by rule-breaking adolescent boys.  I do not, however, think that there are many of these schools that host trees that can be called accomplices to manslaughter.