You Are Here

by David Nicholls

the idea proved unshakeable,

overtakes

carpe...

he hoped at the very least for a sense of achievement, well-being, closure.

A deep immersion in the natural world – surely that would bring calm, not happiness but peace of mind.

drift away

the fells and moors

sedative,

slipway

Robin Hood’s Bay,

p...

Natasha’s

opaque

Marnie

cagoule

thermals

rucksack

rubbery bladder

grisly

ostracised

As a kid, she’d always assumed that a compass somehow pointed where you needed to go but life was more complicated than that.

inconce...

weathered, bear-like rangers

skimp on boots,

momentous

bli...

c...

kel...

a shop troll?

ruinously

baubles,

cagoule

Four single people, a married couple, a teenager.

clamber

stupendous

Marylebone.

doomy

Eu...

furtively

tourniquet,

deployed

This sentence paints a vivid and ironic picture of discomfort and disillusionment. Here’s a breakdown of its meaning: • “It felt gloomy and dystopian” – The atmosphere or situation feels bleak, dark, and perhaps a little hopeless or chaotic, like something out of a dystopian novel or film. • “Her fancy-dress costume now absurd” – The costume she’s wearing, which might have once seemed fun or appropriate, now feels ridiculous or out of place given the grim mood or setting. • “The sports bra a tourniquet” – The sports bra is uncomfortably tight, metaphorically described as a tourniquet, something used to cut off blood flow — suggesting pain or constriction. • “The thermals deployed far too soon” – She put on her warm thermal clothing too early, and now it’s possibly making her too hot or uncomfortable, adding to her sense of regret or misjudgment. Overall meaning: The sentence conveys how a once-hopeful or lighthearted situation (dressing up, preparing for an event) has turned sour or uncomfortable — both physically and emotionally. Her choices now feel wrong or ill-timed, adding to the overall gloomy, almost surreal atmosphere.

Wuthering Heights,

get in the mood,

Mornington Cr...

slumbering

City faded into suburb.

articulated lorries

going about their ...

She’d become so used to the view from her kitchen table, the short...