Stickle Island

Orchard looks past the quaint eccentricity associated with village life in Great Britain and exposes some of its seedy underbelly in his droll debut novel, set during the Thatcher years. The eccentricity remains, but in 1980, Stickle Island’s inhabitants aren’t quaint. The postmistress, for instance, is sleeping with the vicar, who disgraced himself in his previous parish, and many of the locals and “blowins” more recently settled on the small island (it doesn’t even have a pub) are on the dole. When the funding for the island’s ferry is set to be cut, the locals face being forced to move back to the mainland. Bales of marijuana that wash up on the shore after a storm may provide the answer in the form of a co-op to sell the drugs. Meanwhile, a colorful and dangerous duo of dealers track their pot to the island, intent on reclaiming it, but must bargain with the local anarchist holding it for ransom. Pairings, romantic and otherwise, abound, but those featuring younger characters are little more than clever plot devices. Older, saltier characters are much more satisfyingly rendered, though all are described with wit. This mashup of The Full Monty and Waking Ned Devine is recommended for fans of British pastorals. (Feb.)