Setting

Physical setting

“The Stack” is set in North London, where the McCreedy family lives (ll. 31-32). The events take place in September (l. 32) over several days.

The story was published in 1996, and the setting is probably meant to be read as contemporary to the time of publishing. This is suggested, for example, by the Mr. Grumpy T-shirt (l. 96), which McCreedy gets for his birthday. Mr. Grumpy, a children’s book character created in the late 1970s, regained popularity as part of an animated TV series which was aired in Britain and Ireland in the mid-90s.

The story begins in the family’s kitchen, where John McCreedy and his wife Hilda discuss what they will do for McCreedy’s 46th birthday: “opens the kitchen door, and lets it slam behind her.” (ll. 20-21).

Then, McCreedy goes out into the garden, which is described as neglected (l. 31) small and looking like it will never be beautiful (l. 28). He sits on a plastic garden chair (l. 37) and observes the nettles that grow in the garden, overtaking the roses planted by Hilda years before (ll. 41-42).

The story also takes place at Spiros’ Greek restaurant, two streets away from McCreedy’s house (ll. 74-75). The setting of the restaurant is described when McCreedy goes there to plan his birthday dinner: “It’s five in the afternoon, and they’re alone in the place, sitting on stools under the fishing nets that drape the ceiling.” (ll. 81-82). This suggests that Spiros has decorated his restaurant to remind him of his home country.

We also encounter a description of the pub that McCreedy regularly goes to and of its landlord and customers: “They’ve done the pub up. It feels almost like you’re drinking somewhere classy, except it’s the same landlord with his face like a dough ball, and the same drinkers, mostly Irish, he’s...