Summerhouses

Summerhouses, the name given to the farmland owned by Bjartur, is the main setting in the novel. The land, which was originally known as Winterhouses, is widely believed to be cursed, a theory that is borne out by the tragic events in the novel in which everyone who lives there suffers or fails in everything they attempt. The location is oppressive, restricting, and bleak.

Rauthsmyri

Rauthsmyri is the nearest village to Summerhouses. Bjartur spent his earlier years living in Rauthsmyri and working for the Bailiff of the village. Rauthsmyri symbolizes the wealth, resources, and experiences that are denied to those living at Summerhouses under Bjartur’s oppressive rule: Rosa longs to go to Rauthsmyri for milk, Asta Sollilja longs to go there to receive an education, and Gvendur becomes preoccupied with going there to search for the girl he has fallen in love with.

The Bailiff’s House