Village

The village is one of the primary backdrops for the novel. The village remains unidentified by name throughout the narrative. This is the rural region in which Eddy grows up with his family. Over the course of the novel, the village becomes increasingly symbolic of Eddy's and Monique's entrapment in particular. Because everyone lives in close proximity with one another in this region, social and class-based distinctions defined community dynamics.

Eddy ultimately leaves the village for Amiens when he first begins attending high school. Leaving the village makes him realize how much is beyond the insular setting of his upbringing. Monique leaves the village after leaving Eddy's father. Once she moves to Paris, she swears that she will never return to the countryside again.

Amiens

Amiens is the city in northern France where Eddy attends high school. When he is in his early teens, he leaves the village...