Silverstream

Silverstream is a tiny English village somewhat close to London. Silverstream residents are gossipy and suspicious of each other's intentions. The villagers rarely discuss what's going on in the outside world, so they are somewhat isolated from current events and contemporary life, if not literally then certainly in spirit. The villagers take their community seriously and feel threatened when John Smith's novel "Disturber of the Peace" spoofs their lives. Even if the Silverstream village is somewhat bland on the inside, John Smith's novel clearly has wide appeal, and it seems that people find Copperfield, the stand-in for Silverstream, quite captivating as the novel is a bestseller around the country.

Copperfield

Copperfield is the fictional town in "Disturber of the Peace" that is, in fact, a thinly veiled portrayal of real-life Silverstream. Many of the people in Silverstream have counterparts in Copperfield. Barbara Buncle (aka John Smith) certainly adds...