South London

South London is at the heart of the novel. The place where most of the novel's characters have grown up and still live, south London is a gritty section of the city where many denizens are hopeless, using drugs or alcohol to cope with their limited prospects in life. The characters still feel at home in this part of the city, though, and especially after they recognize that this poorer part of London is gentrifying, want to make it better, more livable place.

Miriam and David's House

A nice, homey place, Miriam and David's home is the most comforting of all of the settings in the novel. Miriam and David's comfortable home -- where plates are heated in the oven -- serves as contrast to the seedy bars and trendy clubs where much of the novel's action takes place. Their house may not be cool, but it...