Vesper Choi

The World

Washington → Rome

The novel begins in Washington, D.C., and moves later to Rome.

A rain-slicked Roman alley at night beneath a distant dome

It starts in a parish in Washington, D.C. — a confessional, a wooden bench, a voice Sebastian comes to know before he knows anything else about her.

Later the story moves to Rome, where Sebastian is sent for Church work and training. The institution is drawn as a structure of rules and obligations rather than a costume, and the city holds both refuge and pursuit.

Places

Rooms that matter

  • The Parish — Washington, D.C.

    Sebastian's church and confessional; the place where he learns Dove by voice before he learns her life.

  • The Hospital Chapel

    A quiet threshold in the D.C. portion of the story.

  • The Rome Residence

    Sebastian's training and Church work under Father Benedetti.

  • Enzo's Café

    A place outside the institutional rooms, with its own quiet refuge.

  • Borgo & the Passetto

    Late-story Rome: stone corridors, alleys, danger, and pursuit.