The Library

Fern works at the Bayside Public Library, and she is very much at home there. The library is in a building that formerly housed a hospital, meaning there are some amenities not typical for a library, including showers. Homeless people sometimes use the showers, and Fern first meets Wally when he comes in to shower. Fern has a secret place in the library where she sometimes goes when she is overwhelmed. She is so at home in the library that she refuses to leave with Rose after learning that her mother died. Another library was important to Fern's childhood and likely affected her decision to become a librarian.

Rose's House

Rose lives in a house that Fern says could be on the pages of a magazine. She notes that the yard is not as neat after Owen moves out. After Fern becomes pregnant, Rose begins building a...