Summary

Set in an insular feudal hamlet, Jim Crace’s novel opens with a pair of fires that happen on the same night. The first is a campfire, built by newcomers taking shelter in the woods just beyond the agrarian community’s outskirts. The second, a blaze that engulfs the stable of the hamlet’s Master Kent, appears to be a case of arson.

It is harvest season in the community – a project to which all residents must contribute, especially given a recent population decrease – but this year’s yield is less than hoped. The narrator, a resident who goes unnamed in the first chapter, tells us that the reaping process this year is unusual because a stranger – whom the residents call “Mr. Quill” – has been observing it, taking notes and making etchings on a chart. The stranger’s presence makes the harvesters uneasy, as...