Only Strangers Here by Noel Howard

Only Strangers Here by Noel Howard

Summer 1911 in Shandrum, a small village in rural Ireland; the blistering heat pushes long simmering tensions, some just below the surface, to boiling point. The catalyst is the village atheist, 'The Pagan, ' a challenge to everything around him: church, state and perceived values. Anything or anyone defying the status quo in a small village is seen as a threat, and threats need to be dealt with, one way or another

But it is gossip, suspicion and innuendo around 'The Pagan's friendship with a young boy that have events spiralling out of control, with implications never anticipated.

When Edward Sheldon brings his new wife, Victoria, a former suffragette, home to live in his mansion close to the village, another unexpected dimension is added. Dragged into a cauldron of divided loyalties, religious and political intrigue, violence and bloodshed, Victoria finds her marriage of a few weeks coming under increasing strain, and from a most unlikely quarter.

As for the boy, how will he survive in an atmosphere where guilt and innocence are blurred, prejudice thrives, and perception is everything? With forces not to be underestimated set against him and 'The Pagan', is there a way out for himself and those closest to him?

Summer 1911 is remembered as one of the hottest on record but in this quiet Co. Cork village, it is remembered for much, much more.