The first novel that John Galsworthy published under his own name (rather than a pseudonym), The Island Pharisees was also the first of many of his works to focus on social issues. Born into an upper-class family and afforded the very best, a man named Shelton now finds himself on the brink of marriage. But a chance encounter with an eccentric character called Ferrand turns every assumption underpinning Shelton’s life choices inside out.