Richard Mardick is an elderly man with a secret that he has kept since his youth. He recounts his memories to his young protégé and secretary so that his story can be preserved. Faced with illness, the teenage Richard was sent to live with different relatives while being trained as a farmer. Lonely and stifled by family life, he then met a girl and his life changed… with shattering significance for his future.

Haunting and subtle, L.P. Hartley’s The Brickfield is a beautifully crafted companion to The Go-Between, exploring childhood and adolescence through the eyes of an adult.