Time of the Child

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death.

The fictional town of Faha is a symbol of predictability that supports The Interplay Between Statis and Change. Located on the Irish coast, Faha is a rural village. Living there requires resilience because of the barren landscape and the frequently inclement weather. The town is also widely known as a place where nothing happens and thus where life seems untouched by the forces of the outside world.

These facets of Faha inspire the town’s insular community. For example, “[i]n Faha, comment and commentary [are] close cousins, and because for the bit of news the payment [is] the bit of news back, it [is] hard to tell who [is] doing the telling and who the listening” (91). The townspeople are well acquainted with each other and often get involved in one another’s business. When Ronnie doesn’t leave the house to care for the baby in secret for a few days, the villagers begin talking about where she’s been and what might be wrong with her. Therefore, the Troys worry that news of the baby will spread fast because they know how hungry their neighbors are for information. While the Faha citizens’ gossiping feels intrusive at times, their constant conversations with each other weave “the invisible stitchwork by which the [town is] held together” (91).