There have been numerous books written on the subject of Madeira. All, without exception, wax lyrical about the island - the pearl of the Atlantic, the island of flowers, the floating garden, a subtropical paradise and the lost Atlantis are but a few of the colourful descriptions bestowed. Hundred of pages devoted to the flowers and fauna, the wonderful climate, the landscape, the wine and agriculture, the facilities for the tourist, and, of course, the people - quaint, old fashioned, hard-working, honest people, and their folklore and festivals.
This book is different; it sets out to expose the dark underbelly of the island, born in feudality and laboured by slaves, prisoners, and the poorest of the poor brought in from Northern Portugal for the benefit of a few privileged farmers.
Twenty years of holidays there was no preparation for the culture shock of meeting the medieval mindset head on. A democracy where there has been no power shift in twenty-five years, and government departments run themselves answerable to no one, fines and penalties handed out without evidence or justification.
Failure to wear a seat belt can result in an on the spot broken nose, the rape of a young boy can be 'put right' by the defrayment of some cash and a cow, and the decapitation of young children caused by drunken driving can be settled in similar fashion. Builders who look on in wonderment at a spirit level and improvise a bed from the dust sheets provided and where 'Care in the Community' means keeping a mentally handicapped relative in the shed with the dogs, and feeding them together, if at all.
Many nights disturbed by the roar of gunfire, as the locals followed the age-oldtradition of 'lamping' - hunting for rabbits at night by torchlight - and if their path takes them through patios and gardens then so be it.
Isolated communities, especially islands, cultivate an 'us against the world' mentality, which when combined with religious intolerance, incest, ignorance, greed and an envy of the outside world creates an unhealthy and unnatural atmosphere.
From the factual sexual assault trials on Pitcairn in 2005 and recent murders on Norfolk Island to the fictional Summerisle in "The Wicker Man" there is a common thread. Isolation.
Here is a very personal and subjective account, by an Englishman, of five years living on the island of Madeira.