Kirkwall is the largest town (pop. 10,000 as of 2018) of the Orkney Islands. In Chapter 24 of The Flight of Gemma Hardy, Mr. Sinclair takes Gemma here to shop for new clothes and a wedding dress, in preparation for the wedding. It is also the location of the couple's wedding reception. The town itself is not described in detail--the scene primarily takes place in the shop and at the reception--yet Deirdre, the shop employee, remarks, "I hope you get the good weather. And I hope you'll be very, very happy" (Livesey 262). Not only does this present ominious foreshadowing toward the events to take place at the wedding, the author provides subtle detail about the world Gemma inhabits. Kirkwall experiences an oceanic climate, and is generally coller than the rest of the United Kingdom. Winters are damp, chilly, and windy, which reflects the rainy and gloomy day of the wedding.

Bibliography:

Livesey, Margot. The Flight of Gemma Hardy. HarperCollins, 2012.