Australia

The novel takes place entirely in the country of Australia, and the narrative bears a keen interest in Australia’s history of colonialism. In the eighteenth century, England began to colonize Australia and to violently oppress the country’s indigenous peoples, commonly referred to as Aboriginal peoples. As the novel’s main narrative progresses, the character of Bachhuber gains an increasingly keen awareness and knowledge of the continuing effects of Australia’s history of oppression against the country’s indigenous peoples.

Bacchus Marsh

Bacchus Marsh is a small, suburban town in Victoria, Australia. (Notably, the novel’s author was born in Bacchus Marsh in 1943.) At the beginning of the novel, Irene and Titch have moved to Bachhus Marsh to open a new car dealership there. Bachhuber has also recently moved there after leaving his wife, whom he falsely believed to have committed an infidelity. Irene, Titch, and Bachhuber...