First published in 1981, Bethany is a ramshackle house deep in the country. The roof has tiles missing and the garden is rambling. It's not perfect, but it is refuge without rules where strangers and lovers are accepted without question - until a visitor decides to stay and reorganise the house, and starts to create rules... Bethany is set in rural Cornwall in the 70s and revolves around the difficulties of escaping from the mainstream society and living in a commune, where the priorities of the group often clash with individual needs and desires. Bethany, Anita Mason's debut novel, is written with simplicity and clarity and was first published in 1981 to great critical acclaim. nita Mason was born in Bristol, England. She read English at Oxford, lived in London, and worked in the publishing field for five years. Mason is the author of eight novels to date, as well as a number of short stories. Her novels include, The Illusionist (1983), The War Against Chaos (1988), The Racket (1990), Angel (1994), and The Yellow Cathedral (2002). Her latest novel is The Right Hand of the Sun, and was published by John Murray in September, 2008The Illusionist was nominated for the 1983 Booker Prize in the UK.