Washington, DC

Washington, DC is one of the novel's primary settings. This is the United States city where Mamush has primarily grown up. In the narrative present, Mamush's mother, Samuel, and Elsa reside here. Mamush heads back to DC from Paris at the novel's start. He is meant to be visiting his family for Christmas. Ultimately, he gets waylaid when he takes an impromptu detour in Chicago. By the time he reaches DC, Samuel is dead. While Mamush is here, he is therefore forced to confront the truth of Samuel's passing. The mood in DC is defined by longing, grief, guilt, and confusion. Mamush spends his time here simultaneously trying to deny the loss he has experienced and attempting to understand why Samuel would die by suicide. His trip involves visits to his mother's house, Elsa's house, and the halfway house where Samuel sometimes stayed.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois...