Fillums

By Hugh Leonard

IN 1942, WITH war raging in Europe, the playwright Peregrine Perry and his wife Babs tire of Dublin literary life and move to the small, quiet coastal town of Drane. They soon discover that Drane is the most boring town in Ireland - there is no public transport or radio and the town hall has been locked up. The only diversions from their dull lives are the shows put on by local amateurs and the old films screened at the picture house. The cinema is run by Dermo Grace, a likeable character who also runs a secret society to show 'banned' and risqué films. As the wartime shenanigans in the small town continue, the astonished 'Perry' Perry soon finds himself entangled in a web of hypocrisy and scandal, affairs and adultery, love, tragedy and death. Leonard's enchanting tone reels you in from the start and his characters are both memorable and well constructed. A heart-warming and nostalgic read.