The Cottage

The cottage is Gretel's home in the narrative present. Sections entitled "The Cottage" depict Gretel in the company of Sarah after she retrieves her mother from the river. The cottage marks the place of Sarah's decline, her gradual memory loss and eventual death. Although the space often feels entrapping to both the characters and reader, it ultimately provides a locale for release from the pass and entrance into a new future.

The River Isis

The River Isis is the river on which Gretel, Sarah, Marcus, and Charlie live. When Gretel is a child, she and her mother live on a houseboat near the water, where Marcus eventually joins them. When Sarah and Charlie are together, they also live on the water. After her abandonment, Charlie retains his home on the river until Marcus arrives and eventually murders him. Throughout the novel the river is a place of...