Bethany

First published in 1981, Bethany is a ramshackle house deep in the country. The roof has tiles missing and the garden is rambling. It's not perfect, but it is refuge without rules where strangers and lovers are accepted without question – until a visitor decides to stay and reorganise the house, and starts to create rules…

Bethany is set in rural Cornwall in the 70s and revolves around the difficulties of escaping from the mainstream society and living in a commune, where the priorities of the group often clash with individual needs and desires. Bethany, Anita Mason's debut novel, is written with simplicity and clarity and was first published in 1981 to great critical acclaim.