Setting

The short story “Cyprus Avenue” by Lucy Caldwell is set in contemporary times in the United Kingdom. The main action spans over a few hours “on the twenty-third of December” (l. 16), but the overall story takes place over Christmas holidays and includes references to the past.

Physical setting

The physical setting includes references to various locations: an airport in London and the airport bar, the airport in Belfast, and the main character’s home in Belfast. The titular "Cyprus Avenue" is also brought up several times. 

The story begins by describing “the Departures lounge” (l. 16) where people are waiting to board the Belfast flight. The description is meant to convey the typical atmosphere of the airport during the Christmas holidays. The narrator focuses on the people, describing them as ‘exiles’ because most of them chose to leave Northern Ireland for good:

...there may be a handful of English or half-English kids visiting their Northern Irish parent’s folks for Christmas, but the majority are those who have left for good, all travelling back at the last possible minute, most guilty, some maudlin, few happy. (ll. 20-23)

The airport staff members are also described as “harassed-looking ground staff, in their cheap tunics and flashing Santa hats” (ll. 24-25). These descriptions suggest that there is no genuine holiday mood among passengers and airport employees.

The airport bar is depicted as “always rammed” (l. 32), filled with “sweaty, disgruntled passengers with too much hand-luggage” (ll. 32-33).

Similarly, the arrivals terminal in Belfast...