The Cottage

The cottage is one of the novel's primary settings. The cottage is owned by Spencer Rawson, and is located in rural England. Shortly after Dot and Frank seed are married, they move into the cottage. Their twins, Jeanie and Julius, are born in the cottage not long later.

In the narrative present, Jeanie and Julius are 51 years old, and still residing in the cottage with their mother. Then one morning, Dot has a stroke and dies in the cottage kitchen. Her body remains in the parlor for several days afterwards.

Not long after Dot's passing, with the help of Nathan Clements, Caroline Rawson informs Jeanie and Julius that they owe money on the property, and will soon be evicted. The twins are confused. They believed that Dot and Rawson had made an agreement for them to live in the cottage rent-free until their deaths.

After moving out...