Return of the Native

The novel takes place entirely in the environs of Egdon Heath and with the exception of the epilogue covers exactly a year and a day. The narrative begins on the evening of Guy Fawkes Night as Diggory Venn drives slowly across the heath carrying a hidden passenger in the back of his van. When darkness falls the country folk light bonfires on the surrounding hills emphasizing-not for the last time-the pagan spirit of the heath and its denizens.