Tropic of Ruislip is a 1974 novel by British author

Leslie Thomas Leslie Thomas, OBE (22 March 1931 – 6 May 2014) was a Welsh author best known for his comic novel ''The Virgin Soldiers''. Early life Thomas was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales. He was orphaned at the age of 12, when his mariner fath ...

. It explores the British class divide and themes such as wife swapping. The title refers to Ruislip, one of London's outer suburbs, but the book is set in another suburb,

Carpenders Park Carpenders Park is a suburb of Watford in the Watford Rural parish of the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire, England. It is located in the south western corner of Hertfordshire and close to the boundary with Greater London. It is bounded t ...

. The book sold well, although Thomas' later work never matched the success of his first novel, ''

The Virgin Soldiers ''The Virgin Soldiers'' is a 1966 comic novel by Leslie Thomas, inspired by his own experiences of National Service in the British Army. It was Thomas' debut novel; he had previously published an autobiography. ''The Virgin Soldiers'' sold mill ...

'', published in 1966.

Setting

The book is set in the suburbs of London, specifically "Plummers Park", which is apparently a fictional version of Carpenders Park, where the author lived in the 1960s.

Carpenders Park railway station Carpenders Park is a railway station located between the Hertfordshire suburb of Carpenders Park and the South Oxhey housing estate, south of Watford Junction on the Watford DC Line. The station is an island platform reached by a subway. This ...

is on a

commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...

way line. In the book a railway line marks a physical and social divide between a council estate and middle class housing, mirroring to some extent the real-life division between Carpenders Park and

South Oxhey South Oxhey is a suburb of Watford in the Watford Rural parish of the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire, England. It is located in the south western corner of Hertfordshire and close to the boundary with Greater London. At the 2011 Census S ...

. Other locations in the book include

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...

, where the male protagonist Andrew is employed by a local newspaper.

Adaptation

It was adapted for television in 1979 as "Tropic" with a cast including Ronald Pickup.

References

{{reflist 1974 British novels Adultery in novels British novels adapted into television shows Novels set in Hertfordshire Methuen Publishing books