A melon for ecstasy: A novel,

First published in 1971 and set in the middle England of the 1960s, A Melon for Ecstasy takes the frustrated passion of one repressed young man and shows that sex in the suburbs can be a very twisted affair. Step into the feverish world of Humphrey Mackevoy and discover the thrills of split bark, the unplumbed joys of virgin wood, and the erotic pull of a laburnum in moonlight. Humphrey risks nasty splinters under cover of darkness as his love affair with “Labby” unfolds. But can he defend himself against the local busybodies who are determined to save their trees from the mysterious drill holes that keep appearing overnight? As Humphrey struggles to protect his dark secret, he becomes drawn into a dramatic plot of subterfuge and downright confusion. He might conquer his passion for the soft contours of a young sapling, but will he ever escape the clutches of Mummy—a darkly comic figure drawn to give the best of us nightmares? Read this, and a walk through the park may never be the same again.