After the accident, which is at the heart of ‘Unravelling’, Vanessa moved to Lyme Regis in Dorset. She bought a cottage by the River Lym and has made a successful life for heself. She loves living in Lyme Regis. The following section from the novel conveys her love for the place.
The river alongside her cottage is dark and fast flowing on its way to the sea. The sound is familar and comforting, the first she hears when she wakes, the last before she falls asleep. As soon as she gets home, she takes a lasagne from the firde and puts it in the oven; she clears the dishwasher and makes up her bed with crisp cotton sheets, every action helping to throw off London. She resists checking emails or phone messages, wanting only to absorb the feeling of being at one with herself that this place gives her.When she moved to Lyme Regis more than twenty years ago, the three-storey cottage was almost derelict. There had been a flood and a lot of work was needed to put the damage right, but she could see staright away that it would make just the sort of home she wanted. Somewhere to rebuild her life. And she has. She’s been happy and successful.’
Vanessa particularly loves The Cobb, the ancient sea wall protecting the town from the sea, where she walks most days on her way to her shop. The Cobb has appeared in other novels, most notably ‘Persuasion’ by Jane Austen and ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’ by John Fowles. The latter was made into a film and the scene where the main character stands at the end of The Cobb in her black cloak has become an iconic image.
If you look at the map, you can see the area where Vanessa lives. Her cottage is at the corner of Coombe Street and Sherborne Lane, and her shop is in Silver Street. When Vanessa is in Lyme, she usually walk along Marine Parade and out along The Cobb on her way to work.
