Algeciras, Spain

The novel’s frame narrative centers on Maurice and Charlie waiting in the harbor port of the city of Algeciras, Spain. This storyline takes place in the year 2018, and Maurice and Charlie are in their early fifties. They are waiting to see Dilly, as they believe that she will soon be arriving on a boat from Tangier. They have not seen her in three years, as she has lived an itinerant life in Spain and has not been in contact with them. They eventually see Dilly, but she avoids them and leaves, so Maurice and Charlie must confront the fact that they may not see her for her a long time.

Ireland

Maurice and Charlie are originally from Cork, Ireland. They became small-time drug dealers there in the 1980s before eventually expanding their operation in the 1990s. They sometimes travel abroad to tend to elements of their...