Refugee Camp, Sri Lanka, Late January/Early February 2008

The refugee camp is the novel’s primary setting. The events of the narrative take place two and a half decades into the Sri Lankan Civil War. The camp Dinesh is in is bombed night and day by the government and protected by a rebel group referred to only as “the movement.” Though no definite location is given for the camp, it is described as being close to the sea on the eastern side of the island.

Adampan, Mannar District, Sri Lanka, 2007 or earlier

Dinesh tells Ganga that he is from Adampan, in Mannar. He shared a room with his grandmother and brother in his childhood home. Later, Dinesh’s memories further reveal that Dinesh and his mother had to leave their home there from time to time in the early years of the war.

Refugee Camp, Sri Lanka, 2007 or earlier