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Dissensi are areas that are neither in Ul Qoma nor in Besźel, but which residents of each city think are in the opposite city. In Between the City and the City, Bowden argues that Orciny lives in these in-between areas. However, it is eventually revealed that it is actually Breach who reside there.
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Dissensi Term Timeline in The City & the City
The timeline below shows where the term Dissensi appears in The City & the City. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5
...the mythical third city between the other two. According to legend, Orciny is in the dissensi, the “disputed zones” that are neither Besźel nor Ul Qoma. Drodin explains: “Orciny’s the secret...
(full context)
Chapter 15
Yolanda never originally showed any interest in Orciny, but has recently been bringing up “dissensi.” Borlú asks if Bowden feels threatened, as it seems that there may be someone targeting...
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Chapter 25
...That evening, they walk together in the outside world. By now, Borlú realizes that the dissensi are where Breach reside. Inside the bedroom in which he has been placed, he argues...
(full context)
