The Book of Fallen Trees

When Henry Forrester inherits a house in the country, he knows exactly what he wants to do: leave Oxford, write his book, forget about the war. But even at Ferley Court the memories are not so easy to escape – according to the locals there is a deserter living rough in his wood. And although Henry doesn’t believe that, there is something unexpected going on, something that is almost the same shape as the fairy tales he is writing about. And everyone, from friendly Miss Learmont of the National Trust to unsmiling Mr Pryce of the Department of Special Enquiry, wants him to do something about it. Everyone except Robin Talliver, who seems content simply to be an impossibility.

As Henry begins to accept that he has found not just another life but another world, he also understands that it is not as untroubled as Robin would have him believe. He needs to make a choice, and he can’t do that without confronting the questions raised by the war. And even though he will not do it alone, he still knows that in making that choice he risks losing everything that brought him back out of the darkness.