Boston

Boston is the first setting in the novel where Anna has lived as a researcher for many years. For Anna, Boston is a representation of her loneliness. Anna feels trapped in Boston. This is shown throughout the novel as she loathes the idea of returning to Boston after her time on Turtle Island. However, Anna comes to love Boston again by the end of the novel because she shifts her focus from impersonal researching to a full doctor practice. Instead of a prison, it becomes a center for her adventures.

Turtle Island

Turtle Island is where Anna goes after losing her grant for her Huntington’s research. It is a small island in the Great Barrier Reef that is largely secluded from the rest of the world. There are only two points of internet - Basil and Tom’s house - until many years later when Tom develops...