Plashy Fen

‘Plashy Fen is the story of an imagined, yet wholly real, Dorset fishing community. There is nothing ordinary about its inhabitants, for their internal lives, hopes and dreams are anything but commonplace and are vividly brought to the page. Dark tones—including a decades-old murder—bring a touch of disquiet to the bucolic. I couldn’t put this book down.’

— Katherine Mezzacappa, author of The Maiden of Florence

In the quiet village of Plashy Fen, where Dorset’s rolling fields meet the restless sea, everyone knows everyone… or at least they think they do.

Behind neat hedgerows and familiar faces, lives overlap, secrets simmer and small moments carry unexpected weight. At the heart of it all is Lindy Vickery—practical, dependable and quietly holding the community together, though few truly notice.

Told through a chorus of voices, these interwoven stories reveal a place shaped by friendship, longing and the tension between those who arrive and those who feel they can never quite leave.

But beneath the warmth and humour, hidden truths begin to surface.

Warm, wise and gently funny, Plashy Fen is a comforting yet poignant portrait of village life, where every story matters and every life leaves its mark.

What readers are saying:

‘Maddie Grigg draws you effortlessly into the life of this Dorset village and, before long, its inhabitants cease to feel like characters on a page and begin to feel like people you actually know. Their friendships, secrets, disappointments, hopes and eccentricities weave together to create a community that feels entirely real.‘

‘Maddie’s fabulous writing brings the characters to life in an extraordinary way, engagingly written and described in enough detail to build up a picture of them all in one’s mind’s eye. I’d love to visit and meet them face to face.’

‘Plashy Fen is written by an author who has great affection and understanding for the community she describes. Her story is bucolic, but also clear-eyed and her characters multi-layered and never stereotypical. I couldn’t put it down.‘