'It's the surprising tenderness and cliche-free sentimentality that sets this story apart' Stylist Imagine an alternative England, where the Church controls the country and non-believers have been exiled to a remote island. On the Island, a fierce group of boys patrols the community, searching for signs of faith and punishing any believers. When a beautiful new girl appears, arriving from the mainland on a secret search for her long-lost mother, the gang is split: one boy falls in love with her, another seeks a violent revenge. The struggle between them will change everything. As well as being a book about faith, and life without faith, The Godless Boys is also a story about love and redemption, about power and its abuse, and about just how dangerous it can be to stand out from the crowd. 'Wood's use of language is deft and ambitious . Wood is only twenty-seven yet her writing already has distinction' Literary Review 'The unfolding drama is narrated from several perspectives, which are deftly woven together into a gripping, well-crafted tale . an impressive debut' Observer.