How does your book reflect the world?

Hello all- 
Today's topic related to Context.  The question is how the book reflects the world in which it's set.  How is that setting different from our everyday life?  What techniques does the writer use to bring that world to life?  Pick a sentence or two that you think best represents the world of the book and tell us why.  Here's an example from All Quiet on the Western Front:

"The pure fragrance of the water and the melody of the winding the poplars held our fancies.  We loved them dearly, and the image of those days still makes my heart pause in its beating."  Here Remarque's main character, Paul Baumer, remembers a beautiful spot from his childhood.  The imagery here is almost poetic, and he uses personification of the trees to give the place a life of its own.  This is even more poignant because the memory is juxtaposed against Paul's daily life in the hell that is the trenches of World War One.

I'll be looking for responses from everyone by next week.  Be well!  M.