Knockglen, Ireland

Knockglen is a small village near Dublin and home to Benny, Eve, and several other major characters. It is filled with quirky characters and the main pastime is gossip, which causes stories to become wildly exaggerated as they are passed along. The people are good-hearted, for the most part, but provincial and stuck in the past, which is the main reason Benny and Eve long to escape even though they love the town and recognize how it has shaped their lives thus far.

Dublin, Ireland

Dublin is Ireland's largest city and the location of University College, where the book's four main characters are beginning their studies. For Eve and Benny, it represents an opportunity for freedom and excitement, but for Benny's parents and many of Knockglen's residents, it represents danger. Much of the book's plot takes place at various locations in Dublin, including a number of restaurants...