Lough Corrib

Lough Corrib is a lake near which the narrator and her family live in Ireland. The lake factors heavily into the novel, as both a place the narrator and her friend go to read, and as a place where the narrator seeks to escape the emotional, physical, and sexual abuse she has suffered in her life. The water of the lake becomes symbolic of cleansing, and it is directly intended that the narrator should commit suicide by drowning in water, asking to be cleansed of her sins.

The city

The never-named city is located within driving distance of where the narrator’s mother and brother live. The city is full of strangers and strange places, and is jarring at first to the narrator. Soon, she comes to relish the pleasures the city has to offer, from alcohol to marijuana to the limitless number of men that she...