Peter Ho Davies' forthcoming novel The Bad Shepherd will be published in 2005 by Houghton Mifflin. The novel, of which "Think of England" comprises the first chapter, tells the story of Sarah (whose name has been changed to Esther during the course of the novel's composition) and a German prisoner of war who comes to work on her farm while a mysterious base is being constructed near the village. Other excerpts from the novel have been published as short stories in such publications as Granta, The Paris Review, and The Virginia Quarterly Review.

Thus far Davies has published two short story collections: The Ugliest House in the World (1997) and Equal Love (2000). One story from the first collection, "A Union," contrasts personal beliefs with ideology as quarrymen confront their principals to take a political stance. Davies' stories are renowned for their mystery...