The story is set at the time of the enclosures and revolves around a single week in a remote rural village. The week starts at the end of the harvest as the villagers are gleaning the remaining grains from the field to help feed them through the winter. Three strangers, two men and a charismatic woman arrive and build a shelter on the edge of the woodland and claim their right to stay by lighting a fire before they’re discovered.
The story is told from the point of Walter Thirsk who came to the village as a servant. An act of drug fuelled vandalism by three young men from the village is blamed on the new comers who are cruelly treated. The arrival of Mr. Quill to map the estate further raises suspicions. The arrival of Master Jordan, who has inherited the estate, and his entourage are the final catalyst. He has other intentions for the village and the events that follow unmake the village within seven short days.
The views of the book club members varied. Several of us found the book hard to get into and didn’t think we would like it. But within a chapter or two we found ourselves getting used to the language and enjoying the story. A couple of us were disappointed with the ending feeling that there were too many unresolved threads to the story. We had a really interesting discussion around the parallels between the story and modern times and felt that in some ways similar themes were still playing out in society today.