Structure
The short story “Love in the Suburbs” by Maeve Binchy is structured around a young girl’s frustration and shame of living in the suburbs. As years pass by, Bonnie’s distaste for the suburbs grows stronger, until she meets a young man who makes her see the suburbs in a different lig…
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Title
The title “Love in the Suburbs” is simple and straightforward and it helps readers get an idea about the plot of the story. First of all, the title obviously refers to the way in which Bonnie’s view of the suburbs is changed once she falls in love with Clive:
The road looked differen…
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Beginning
The exposition of the story introduces the main character and the setting:
When people asked Bonnie where she was from she always said Dublin. That’s w…
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Middle
The rising action begins with two unpleasant events connected to Bonnie and two of her schoolmates. When Justine visits, she is disappointed and later mocks Bonnie at school, revealing to everybody that she does not actually live in the city:
The suburbs. Worse than living in the country. Roads full of houses with small gardens in front of them, frilly net curtains on the windows. People looking at you, spying on you, complaining to your m…
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Ending
The falling action presents Bonnie’s relationship with Clive, but also her reluctance to introduce Clive to her family, as she is still ashamed that she lives in the suburbs.
In th…
