Sarah Hall

Set in the part of England once known as The Lake District and frequented by hordes of landscape hungry tourists, "The Carhullan Army" is narrated by a young woman who has adopted the name Sister. Britain after its union with the United States and numerous unsuccessful foreign wars, has found itself in the grip of a severe fuel crisis and the country is now under the control of a severe body known as The Authority. All fire-arms have been handed over to the Government and all women have been fitted with contraceptive devices; this Britain of the near-future is brutal and very-near desperate. Sister`s only hope - or so she thinks - lies in finding the Carhullan Army: a mythical band of women who lives a communal existence in the remote hills of Cumbria.A "Handmaid`s Tale" for our times, Sarah Hall`s novella is about women, terrorism, and individual choice. As compelling as it is believable, "The Carhullan Army" represents yet another stage in her development as one of Britain`s most original and relevant story tellers.