Ardeevin

The house at Ardeevin serves as the opening of the story and the place where the climax of the plot takes place. The house has a small river in the garden and its own name. Set back from the town, it is separate, and the children spend their childhoods within its walls. Despite their desire to escape Ireland and their mother, the Madigan siblings are drawn back to the house itself.

New York City in 1991

As an adult, Dan lives in New York City in the early 1990s. Specifically, the novel focuses on the world of the gay community during that time. New York in the early 1990s is both a glittering, social world filled with gallery openings and house parties, but it is also plagued by the fear of HIV and the danger of being diagnosed with AIDS. New York City is in many ways the complete...