 Although Waters was born in Pembrokeshire , Wales , she considers herself a London writer because of her intense affection for the city , due in part to her immigration to it . Specifically , Waters is moved by walking through London and seeing remnants of many historical eras : " It 's ... almost like it 's peopled with ghosts — again , jostling up against each other or passing through each other . I find that very exciting . " Her love for the city is apparent to many reviewers . In the Lesbian Review of Books Donna Allegra writes , " [ S ] he summons the era 's attitudes and ambiance projecting them onto the screen of the reader 's mind with Dolby wrap @-@ around sound such that you feel you 're vacationing on all points between Chelsea and the East End . " 
