Flatlands is the moving tale of unlikely friendship and the beauty of nature, set in the wild wetland landscape of the English Fens, during World War II. It explores the connection between Philip (a conscientious objector) and Freda (a young London evacuee, who has been sent away to escape the unexpected German bombing).
In her new temporary home in Lincolnshire, Freda finds herself staying with a strange and abusive couple, whose lives mirror the barren landscape in which they live a hand-to-mouth existence – based on subsistence farming and poaching. There, deprived of any warmth, she meets a young man who has left Oxford and his prospective vocation in the church, following a nervous breakdown.
Together they explore the wild beautiful landscape of the Wash, teeming with migrating birds. And nurse an injured goose back to health. As they do so, Philip introduces Freda to the wonders of the natural world, and its enduring power to heal.
About the Author
Sue Hubbard is a poet and novelist. Carol Haggas of American Library Association writes that ‘she deserves a place in the literary pantheon near Colm Tóibín, Anne Enright, and William Trevor.’
