Like many areas of the Northeast, Concord is a town of rich tradition. In Perfectly Miserable, the people of Concord seem to cling most to the traditions of religion, frugality, and the preservation of history. Despite having an irreverent tone regarding church and God, Sarah focuses on faith in Concord a great deal. She comments that a clear majority of the community attend religious service, from Catholic mass to Unitarian service. Sarah claims “God was dead for all the friends I had left in New York, but in Concord He wasn’t just alive, He was overbooked” (110). Her children notice this emphasis on religion as well, going so far as to ask why they do not attend like all their peers. The other defining trait that has stood out is the
